No Relation
by assantra
Summary: So there is a reason that Kenzi has so many aliases. There's also a reason she seems so calm about the whole supernatural fae stuff. Funny thing about all of this, she has her secrets and the fact no one has really met her family either. The reason she and Hale kind of bond because they have the same name. No relation though. Kudos to Mimosa Evans who provided the idea.
1. Chapter 1

**Lil Mama Hale**

 **No Relation**

 **Prologue**

When she had first been met Dyson Thornwood, many moons ago now, Kenzi had cheekily introduced herself to the detective as MacKenzie Hale. Only to discover Hale was also the last name of his partner. She had reassured that there was no way the two of them were related.

Which had been promptly followed by the pair of detectives trying to look her up in their databases. That of course had led to even more confusion about what her real name was because of all the aliases she used. Which was the intended outcome of the whole setup, Kenzi didn't like to brag but the truth was unlike the majority of the fae population apparently, she really was something of a techno-mage.

Heck even Bo had an aversion to most things technological including cell phones. Kenzi finally got the succubus to start using a cell phone without Instagram, Twitter or anything like that. Cause let's face it if you're an unaligned succubus, the last thing you needed was anybody and every fae knowing where you were at all times. To avoid being snatched, shot at or whatever happened the cross their tiny little fae minds. On the flip side of the coin if you were going to be a detective for the fae being able to be reached was sort of a necessity.

Evony also known as the Morrigan seemed to be quite adept at following social media, heck, even manipulating it to get her clients into the Golden Circle. Personally the Kenzinator totally blamed the dark fae leader for the insane and unexplainable except by fae magic and/or manipulation popularity of the Kardassians and all that entailed.

To get back to the meat of the issue, namely the true identity of the incredible Kenziness. She actually had told the werewolf detective the truth when they had first met. His suspicion had meant the truth had rarely come between them again. MacKenzie Hale. She had of course left several parts out. Actually, quite a lot, like that while she had the skills to be a thief, she didn't really need the money. Like most of her family, Kenzi was independently wealthy, having lent capital to and arranged the capital for several internet firms. After which she had invested in real estate and medical research

Next of course were the duo factoids that not only was Kenzi fae, she was werewolf fae of the Hale Pack. As in the Beacon Hills Hale Pack, famous on the West Coast for maintaining one of the most stable and peaceful werewolf clans known.

How had she kept from being discovered by the detectives, not to mention her bestie Bo. Simple a little perfume with a few volatile chemicals and herbs in their proper proportions, designed to keep those who were able to detect such things, to be preoccupied with something else. A little something the family emissary had taught her.

All these secrets and a few others she had been able to keep for a few years now. Including the fact that despite trying to hook her bestie up with her ever-loving fae love machine of a boyfriend Dyson, Kenzi had a thing for the light fae detective. As in a raging hormonal lust filled thing.

When Dr. Hotty Pants Lauren came along, Kenzi was secretly thrilled, until she discovered that apparently her new friend Bo was a succubus, therefore not only gender neutral which, way to go Bo, but also a little bit slutty, i.e. she could handle both love interests at the same time. Whereas Kenzi was surprisingly lacking in the loving feelings at present.

Oh well, at least she still had her brother Derek, her sister Cora and apparently a recently returned from the dead crazy, Uncle Peter. She also had the vicarious lack of love life from her big brother and the anti-love life of her little sister to deal with. Ah the joys of being the Bolverk-in-training of the Hale Pack. Not to mention the succubus wrangling human bestie. How had this happened again?


	2. Chapter 2

**No Relation**

 **Chapter 1**

Kenzi watched from the pool table as Dyson, Hale, Trick and Bo were talking at the bar. She didn't have to be close to hear what was being said. Luckily for them, she barely refrained from rolling her eyes as the lady doc took her shot. The pair of humans had been shuffled off to the pool table, so that the grown-ups could talk.

It hadn't been put that way, but Kenzi was pretty sure the mostly clueless Lauren was aware of the patronization of their fae companions toward the duo. What a joke, really.

Still Lauren was more tolerable than a lot of the fae most of the time. Lauren had no idea that Kenzi was actually listening in. So when she has to call the other girl twice to get her attention to take her turn at the pool table she assumes, "Ok I know you have a thing but why don't you just accept Hale's offer to go out on a date?" she asks when she finally manages to get the Goth girls attention.

Kenzi replies, a little haughtily, "As if." Lauren is surprised at the response. Kenzi is horrified when the lady doc has the sudden revelation. "You like Dyson, " she hisses with a huge grin on her face.

"Yeah like that's going to happen," Kenzi agrees somewhat morosely watching to make sure the other fae, especially their friends hadn't clued into their conversation.

Lauren is apparently very excited with the prospect of Kenzi's interest in the broody wolf. Even though things had been really pretty good between her and Bo. It doesn't mean she doesn't see the potential benefit of Dyson and Kenzi getting together. Thus making the way clear for she and her succu-babe.

So with some reluctance on Kenzi's part the two decide to conspire to the get Kenzi and Dyson together. Really Kenzi is more concerned about Dyson's recent surprising lack of emotions. The werewolf is really even more broody than usual and that's not good.

A werewolf not in touch with his emotions is one who's not in touch with his wolf. Down that road led to crazy Uncle Peter, not a place any sane wolf wanted to go.

Thoughts of Peter led to thoughts of the rest of her family. Seeing as how the other fae appeared to have things well in hand the goth decided to cut out early and try to call her family.

She took her leave of Lauren to the other girls disappointment. However the doc was a little mollified that Kenzi was calling her family. The others including the D-man however, barely noticed when Kenzi slipped out of the front door of the pub right past their little conclave.

Kenzi called Derek on her cell phone, "Hey bro. What do you know?"

The Alpha merely growled at his sister as he replied, "Can I just ay exactly how much it sucks that my Beta's are getting more sex than I am?"

Kenzi groaned for him with a little huff of laughter thrown in the hoping to lighten her older brother's mood.

"Worse yet, the one I had really high hopes for…" he started.

"Scott right?" she clarified.

"Yeah Scott," Derek agreed easily, "He's sleeping with Kate's niece."

Kenzi was the only relative he had told the truth too about the night of the fire, well the only one period, family or otherwise. The truth about Kate and his relationship, Kenzi's opinion of the 'manipulative pedophile huntress bitch,' was well known and shouted so loud and long when she had heard. Her older brother was quite sure an echo of the statement was still circling the mountains and woods terrifying local hikers.

Her response to the discovery that the McCall kid was stuping the Argent princess, would have been shocking the locals as she walked down the street to the Crack Shack if it had been in English.

She was reciting a string of profanity in Russian that was as surprising in it's complexity as it was in its variety. He began responding in Spanish and Kenzi was sure she had succeeded in distracting her older brother from the aggravation of his Alpha-hood.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N~ Ok so it occurred to me that I hadn't put proper dedication where it was due. My apologies to MimosaEvans. She made the request and gave the prompt for this lovely piece for which we have received copious reviews and kudos. Take a bow Mimosa. Also please note as Mimosa says this is fan fiction the fact that Hales name isn't his last name is true. The No Relation between he and Kenzi is meant as an inside joke for the pair. As they are the comedians in their little group. Please continue to read, enjoy and review. ~A**

 **A/N/N~ Due to a crisis that has come up I am having to put this and all of my other work on hiatus. This is only a temporary situation, I honor my commitments. However, nothing more will be posted until after the holidays when I'll hopefully have a better grasp on the situation. ~A**

 **No Relation 2**

Kenzi went back and forth on her decision. She was angry, furious really and actually a little shocked that her fellow werewolf hadn't figured out that she was one as well. She finally realized that maybe he had just never body hopped before. Not that it was a normal thing by any chance, but her Uncle Peter used to use it as a party trick sometimes.

What she was furious about now was the stupid deal that her werewolf had made with the Norn. A freaking Norn, really? During one of their phone calls, her brother had told her, a couple of the members of his Pack knew more about the supernatural than her Uncle. According to Uncle Peter, he knew everything, so she couldn't wait to meet these guys. When she had called to get advice from the two men in her life, Uncle Peter had told her to run away in the other direction as fast as she could.

So of course here she was standing outside of the old woman's apartment, with a despondent and surprisingly reluctant Dyson. Ok this creature was an old and powerful fae. It didn't mean she couldn't be reasoned with, right?

After all her wolf just wasn't himself without his heart. She had nearly cried when the woebegone wolf had let her slap the crap out of him. Actually truth be told she had nearly used a hint of her werewolf strength on the morose creature. Only staying hidden for so long had saved her from revealing that little secret and managing to restrain herself.

As it was the old woman still managed to piss the little werewolf by not only ridiculing the D-man but basically ignoring the "human" in the room, but also by not listening to what they had to say at all. Kenzi took the werewolf home reluctantly.

She would have loved to talk to her brothers human advisors if only to find out how a human would react in this situation but her uncle and brother were both reluctant to give her the human members of their Pack information. She found it a little odd especially since her mother had always been very pro-human. Instead she decided to go with her own version of bad-ass human.

Which is how she ended up outside the old woman's apartment again, this time toting a chainsaw. To say the old woman was a little more willing to listen to Kenzi this time would have been a lie. To say Kenzi gave her little choice in the matter would have been closer to the truth. When she started cutting on the Norn's tree, she did think about possible repercussions to her and the fae here, she wasn't actually worried about her family back home.

After all, no one here knew she was a werewolf let alone fae. No one here knew she was related to those Hale's. So when she accidentally spilled the black goo on her arm and heard the old woman whispering something about it being a gift she didn't really pay attention. She was only concerned with getting back her werewolves heart after all.

She was actually surprised the fae didn't ask more questions about how she got his heart back from the Norn. Then she figured it out, he was more interested in getting his heart back where it belonged so that he could hook back up with Bo and have the happy, sexy times with the succubus.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

 **Later after the failed possession by Inari:** She was tired and sore and while grateful to the others for saving her. She was a little tired of the questions. Oh she knew exactly why the kitsune couldn't actually possess her. Especially since even Inari couldn't figure it out. She was used to possessing fae, a simple human should have been no match for her. Apparently she'd never actually tried to possess a werewolf before. Bedding them yes, possessing not so much.

"Your werewolf friend won't know what hit him," she had told Kenzi after setting up the traps around the bound and bruised "human". "Of course I'll have to get the succubus out of the way, first, but for some reason they'll listen to you. Even over one of their own kind."

"They won't believe you," Kenzi said vehemently, "They know I would never turn against Bo."

"No, of course not," the kitsune responded in a sickly sweet tone. "Unless it was more of a restraining until she's better sort of situation. Protect her from hurting herself or others. Then later I'll come back and give her the rest of the dose."

"You poisoned her?" Kenzi gasped as things fell into place. "That's why she's been acting so odd,"

"Actually not me, us." Inari replied as she continued to get things ready, "I may not have been able to take full possession of you for some strange freakish reason," she said still obviously ticked ff about that. "But I could influence you to poison your best friends coffee with a little wolves bane."

Kenzi paled visibly. Pretending she had no idea what the drug could do to other fae or even humans was the hardest thing she had ever done but it did explain her current weakened condition, as well as Bo's current behavior. "Bo's not a werewolf, she's a succubus you moron,"

The slap wasn't something she's expected but it did cause her to create a gap in the ward's circle before Inari could finish setting it. "You already know it's affecting her, you yourself are feeling the effects. This particular variety," she said holding up a vial of powder, "has very satisfying results on a werewolf's libido…very satisfying." Yeah, that was definitely a very pervy look in her own grey eyes. She should know they were her eyes after all.

"They'll still know you're not me." Kenzi demanded, although a little more weakly.

"Will they?" Inari taunted before leaving Kenzi alone in the cold cavern.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

They still can't figure out how she didn't get possessed by the kitsune, they figure it was the fox spirits decision not to saddle herself with a fragile human host. Truth was the kitsune spirits usually preferred human hosts. Yes they were fragile but they were also easier to control. At least according to Peter. Kenzi knew why though. Hosts no matter what type were usually single occupancy type deals. Two spirits couldn't occupy the same body, even when the wolf is a bitten were, Kenzi was a born werewolf. Inari hadn't stood a chance in hell.

Wolves and foxes normally didn't get along. The kitsune didn't usually have choice in the sex department though. During the last great fae war, before humans actually became the next big thing. Most of the kitsune males were killed off. The rest were killed by human diseases and so forth. To make more kitsunes the females had to sleep with wolves, as they were the closest to their own kind still living. It still required a great deal of magic to actually have kits, but it could be done.

The kitsune had tried to seduce D-man and failed, then she tried to possess him too. Stupid girl, with his newly renovated heart back in place, again not a chance in hell. Even less of besting him in battle, guess she wasn't thinking with the right organ. Really stupid, though on a certain level Kenzi could totes understand. After all D was a hottie.

She did have to admit to being a little amazed that until Inari had shown her true face to Bo. No one not even Trick had figured out the trickster wasn't her, not even Bo. Of curse she was also rather glad they hadn't figured out how she had avoided being possessed by the creature. It was surprisingly Lauren who gave her the out.

The lady doctor explained, "When Kenzi was under Inari's influence and had poisoned Bo. You had also accidentally poisoned yourself and that made you poisonous to the fox spirit. So while it nearly killed you it also saved you from Inari, in the long run."

That right there was when Kenzi forgot her dislike of the lady doc and decided the woman was not only worthy to date Bo but was more than worthy of her, Kenzi's friendship.

Of course when she had spoken to her relatives in California several days later, they weren't happy. After all not only had she risked herself for what amounted to a Rogue Omega but a succubus as well. She had to admit it was the first time she had actually hung up on the Alpha since she had moved up here.

 **Later on that week:** Waking up in the Crack Shack, was another blow to her already damaged heart. Finding her werewolf in the bathroom of her den, half naked and smelling of sex with Bo. Yeah no pain there at all.

She had been trying and failing not to read love into the way Dyson had held her after he and Bo had found her in Inari's den. The way he had said, "There you are," as if he had been looking for her all his life and suddenly had realized it.

When she had gotten the call from Derek later that same day. Her excuse to Bo and the others about a family emergency, while true, the tone she used felt flat even to her own ears. Her aching heart was too hungry for her own Pack and her own den to care at that moment though.

She really was trying not to remember how it was when Bo and then Dyson had found her that day in the kitsune den. Bo hugging her and Dyson holding her for longer, much longer than was necessary. She was surprised he hadn't smelled the scents of love and desire mixed on her since then, or the heavy depression she was sure she had been sporting since this morning.

Derek's call couldn't have come at a better time. Even if it was because the Alpha Pack had decided to pay a visit to their old friends the Hales. Yeah, right. She's heard the stories even this far North. She knew how bad it was that Decaulion was visiting and the death and destruction he had left in his wake the past several years.

Basically she went through the motions for the rest of the day. Arranged the flight by phone, packed her clothes while listening with half an ear to Bo's complaints about being abandoned. Ignored Dyson's attempt at interrogating her about her family, where she was going, what kind of emergency was happening. Truthfully the hardest one to face was the "other human" in their little group. The only one who seemed to be being supportive about the whole thing, Lauren.

Kenzi was glad she had splurged for the first class accommodations on the plane. She cried when she was able to, ate when she was hungry and slept when she could.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N~ So I am now a full time caregiver and so my time is limited and my writing will be a lot more sporadic. It may also take me a darker route but I would love to hear how you are enjoying the stories. Enjoy! ~A**

 **No Relation 3**

Hearing wasn't his strongest sense though his sense of smell was his strongest . So it rather startled him whenever the sound of something making a fine vibrating noise impinged on his thoughts. It took him a moment to realize it was him vibrating, not his cell phone which had remained annoyingly silent all morning. No the vibration was literally him or rather his vibrating body to make the chair he was sitting in rattle gently.

First it had been his pen tapping, then shaking his leg nervously, now his whole body was vibrating to the point that even his partner Hale was staring at him curiously. He merely shook his head at his partner as he went back to the file he had been studying. He had been distracted all morning and was finding it impossible to absorb the facts of the case that they were supposed to be working on. If he didn't glean some clue or idea from the information they had collected so far by the end of the day. Not only would he have to deal with Hales questions but those of his boss the lieutenant. Something he really didn't want to have to deal with on the Friday before a long weekend.

There went the thought process right back to Kenzi as he thought of a long boring rather lonely weekend. Bo and Lauren apparently weren't as worried about her little human's hasty exit to heaven knew where. The pair had made plans to visit some relatives of Lauren's in the wine country of California. Either a cousin or uncle had invited them to an awards ceremony in which his winery was getting some well-deserved accolades after many years of trying to gain the notoriety.

Hale meanwhile also had a family thing this weekend, his overbearing father and vitriolic sister were determined to make a family feast of epic proportions for some anniversary or other of a family celebration. Hale was thrilled…not. He had already tried several times to rope Dyson into joining him. Despite the threat of his partner's sister riding him like a dime store pony, Dyson wasn't interested in the least.

He was more interested and tempted once again in trying to find out more about the little human Kenzi and her family. After a surreptitious look around at the other desks ad the oblivious cops. He typed in her name again, this time though there was a different prompt at the bottom of the screen. When he typed in McKenzie Hale there was a prompt that asked, "Did you mean McKenza Hale?"

 **~O~**

Bo was pissed off. The latest fae she was supposed to be tracking down was a kleptomaniac type of bird fae. Who liked to pick up bright, shiny things to line its nest before it started a mating ritual to find a fae to impregnate it. Only no one had told the succubus that they also had to have the heart of a human to lay their eggs and that they were a very advanced shape shifter who could make themselves look like a male or female human, oh and lets not forget the real kicker, they could spit acid.

So after a ruined leather jacket, burns she had as yet to figure out how to heal and returning the several fae magical trinkets to their rightful owners. She was home throwing away yet another outfit that was covered in unmentionable foul smelling goo and acid burns. Luckily her fees would cover the outfit and the leather jacket as well as a little extra. She couldn't help thinking that things might have gone better if Kenzi had been there. Let's be honest the little human had an uncanny instinct about these situations.

Heaving a sigh she put a couple of large pots of water on to boil and began scraping as much of the gunk off as she could. She dug around for the Epsom salts in the trunk in the bathroom and began by standing on one of their rattiest towels and using the salt to scrape as much of the substance off of her skin as possible. It was actually a fairly relaxing experience, Kenzi had found a fae who would carve different kinds of wood into various weapons and other things. She had convinced the fae to create a few surprisingly sharp wooden blades and what she called a scraper. She had demonstrated its use to Bo when she had been gooed by a pregnant fae with their very powerful form of morning sickness.

When Bo was finally finished the cleaning with salt the water was hot enough to be blended with the cold tap water which was the best they usually got out of their taps. Bo relaxed into the balmy bubble bath and thought more about Kenzi's uncanny gift for making friends with fae, even ones who claimed to hate humans and wanted to kill the little brunette on sight. Bo would usually turn around and the human would be chatting up her would be killer with stories from the old country told to her by her Russian gypsy grandmother.

Dyson had once asked the little human if she had ever made a trip to Ireland in her past. When she denies it giving the werewolf an odd lool he asked if she was sure because he was almost certain she must have kissed the Blarney Stone at some point. "Remind me to tell you the truth about your Blarney Stone some time." the young human had said with an expression of disturbed disgust.

As far as Bo knew they had never got back to the discussion at any point. Speaking of the Russian gypsy grandmother, Bo had a fleeting thought if perhaps that was why Kenzi had to go home so suddenly, something had perhaps happened to a relative. Other than a few distant cousins that Bo had only ever really seen from a distance, she honestly didn't know much about her human sidekicks relatives. She wondered if they were as sneaky and criminally inclined as Kenzi.

She relaxed back into the water and let the heat and bubbles sooth her bruised body. Her thoughts drifting to wander about what Kenzi's relatives were like.

 **~O~**

Kenzi deftly avoided the she-wolf waiting at the bus stop. For one thing she doubted her brother would send anyone to meet her whose wolf was so close to the surface their claws were showing for anyone to see. The Hales had always been a behind the scenes, keep it on the down low kind of Pack. Although Derek had mentioned that Uncle Peter had been more than a little naughty this past year. His exact words had involved "raging psychopath".

Kenzi had actually giggled thinking about it on the way home, wondering why her older brother hadn't used the more appropriate moniker of "stark raving lunatic." Unfortunately there weren't really any Enterprise or Hertz rent-a-car places at the bus stop. Fortunately she had a few tricks up her sleeve, and luckily she was wearing some of her less than attractive clothes on the bus. The added advantage of twenty or thirty unwashed bodies being piled into a rolling tin can with an only moderately functioning bathroom on board had its advantages and disadvantages. Advantage it had undoubtedly helped her in getting by the female werewolves sensitive and probably highly offended nose. Disadvantage it had made her offended by her own scent.

Kenzi found the requisite lockers and taking her backpack over to it, took the key out of the lock and stuffed her backpack in the locker. She took a very small beaded bag out of the pack. It had been a gift from a fae she had done a favor for. A bag of holding that could hold a lot more than should be expected, she stuffed the locker key, her cash, her cell phone, her old house key and a pair of shorts and tank top into the bag. It had a chain she threw over her neck like a necklace.

There were twins at the entrance to the bus station and she avoided them as well. This was ridiculous, she knew her brother wouldn't send this many wolves just to pick her up which told her this was meant to be an ambush and she was glad of the added scent camouflage. She walked to the café on the corner. She remembered the greasy spoon fondly as having the best cheeseburgers and shakes ever.

She was a little nonplussed to find more werewolf scent here coming off a trio of teens who weren't actually werewolves themselves. She decided to park herself in the booth behind the trio. She may not be a real detective in Dyson's eyes, it didn't mean she hadn't picked up a few things from the high and mighty Detective Thornwood.

It seemed the redhead and the bruised looking boy were giving the brunette the third degree. Kenzi could tell the girl didn't like it but felt guilty enough to undergo the interrogation for some reason. "Look I told you I haven't seen Erica or Boyd since that night."

"You mean the night you and your beloved grampy kidnapped me and beat me up Alli, is that the night you're talking about?" the boy said, deliberately leaning forward so that the light shone on his slightly faded bruises. The girl looked away but didn't answer.

"They said they were going back to Derek because they understood how vulnerable they were without a Pack." Kenzi could tell he was angry but also worried about the pair he was talking about. "What are you trying to tell me you think they ran into other hunters or did Grandpa Argent just take them somewhere else? Or has he already killed them?"

"He wouldn't do that!" the brunette said sharply.

The boy sat back shaking his head with a pitying look. "He kidnapped me with your help, beat me up, did you really think he was just going to let me, the sheriffs son, go. So I could run to my dad and have your entire family arrested. Really?"

"Come on Allison. You're not that naïve." The redhead said calmly.

The brunette got up and ran out of the restaurant barely remembering to grab her messenger bag as she went. The boy ran his fingers through his hair roughly as he groaned heavily.

"Do you believe her?" the redhead asked him quietly.

"Do you?" he asked a little more heatedly than he probably intended.

"I want to, the problem is, her dad, her grandpa, her whole family has managed to brainwash her into believing all supernatural's are bad. Trying to convince her otherwise means un-programming her. I have no idea how to do that and since her mom killed herself…." the red head said in a surprisingly tired tone, "I'm not sure we could if we tried."

"Scott's still so caught up in how this is all affecting Allison, that he's no help at all."

"Yeah well Derek's stoic yet angry thing isn't exactly helping either." the redhead said pragmatically.

"I know, I know. Come on let's get out of here," the teen said as he dropped a few bills on the table and the two teens walked out to a blue Jeep and a Prius respectively. The pair actually headed off in two different directions.

Kenzi ordered a cheeseburger, curly fries, and a shake. While she waited she called her brother, only the douche didn't answer. Internalizing the foul language, Kenzi merely said, "I hope you didn't send out a distress call to get me down here only to run off somewhere. Call me back, or come find me. I'm in town. Love you bro."

She ate the meal slowly, savoring the juicy meat, the gooey cheese and the salty goodness of the fries. When she was halfway through she finally took the first gulps of the shake. It had melted enough she could actually drink a good amount without having to worry about the dreaded brain freeze effect. The savory chocolate nearly made her drool everywhere. She sat back with a blessed out expression on her face.

"You were always way too into the chocolate," said an affectionate deep voice.

"As opposed to the red meat," replied Kenzi, as she opened her eyes to stare into her brothers bottle green ones.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N~ Many thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed my stories. I really appreciate the feedback. Also thanks to everyone who sent me messages of support for my current situation. I appreciate those as well. Enjoy everyone. ~A**

 **No Relation 4**

Derek had joined his sister in the booth. Sitting across from her he looked longingly at her plate for a few seconds before calling the waitress over and ordering the same thing. Then his nose twitched and he looked around the small café curiously.

"They just left," Kenzi told her brother helpfully.

His eyebrow raised, he asked, "You met them"

"Nope, just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and listened in." Kenzi said cheekily before she continued to savor her meal. Places to eat on the bus route were questionable, if not down right disgusting, so the werewolf was starving.

The Alpha merely shook his head and said, "You have got to be the best bait for a luck fae there ever was."

"Actually met one of those while I was away, yeah. Kind of a greasy guy I have to say." the younger woman said a little cheekily. They stopped speaking for a while when the waitress delivered her brothers food.

She wasn't surprised when her brother soon caught up with her in the consumption of the meal. She had learned to savor her food when she could. You never knew how long it might be before you got another well prepared meal. Such enjoyment shouldn't be wasted.

Unfortunately Derek had never really learned to cook for himself. Although Kenzi loved her mother and respected her memory, she totally blamed her for that fact. Their mother loved to cook for the entire pack but never trusted anyone else in her kitchen, especially not any of her own children.

Kenzi was so caught up in her memories she nearly missed the last bit of burger and shake and that really would have been a shame but that also meant she and Derek had to talk about the reason she was there. "So what's with the howl, bro?"

Derek then proceeded to catch her up on everything that had happened. Peter's betrayal of Laura. Derek killing Peter hi return to the land of the living. In between that her brothers gifting a bunch of teens with the Bite. His subsequent difficulties with preparing the teens for what was coming and the defecting of three of their number and the frustrations of dealing with Peter's psychotic choice for a Beta. His adoration for the huntress, who had been here with the other two earlier.

"Honestly, the other two are the only reason I still bother with Scott anymore." Derek admitted with a groan as he rubbed both hands over his bearded face tiredly.

Kenzi smiled sympathetically at her brother as she caught his hand and replied, "I'm here now, I'm on your side but if you start treating me like a kid again…I don't care if you are the Alpha now. I can still kick your ass, and I will."

 **~O~**

Kenzi was about ready to make good on her threat to Derek about kicking his ass. Only she didn't think she was going to limit herself to just her brothers ass in this case. Her uncle and his Beta were quickly raising her ire to a whole new level with both their stupidity and arrogance.

"Perhaps we should contact the Council," Peter suggested doubtfully.

Derek merely glares at his uncle. Scott though eagerly asks his creator, "What council?" As if the mysterious governing party he was just now hearing about had all the answers.

Yes her brother had apparently not told his new Pack members anything and she met anything about the fae or what they were. Not a blessed thing which in some respects suited her just fine, except for their wannabe emissary/wannabe Druid. That and the Spark in the room.

Stiles was also very curious about the fae and the council. Kenzi can tell from his scent without even seeing his face. She however had no intention of letting her brother go to them with this. They may be a small pack but they were her Pack and she wasn't going to let the unfeeling fae from the north influence their little group.

She snorted and said, "The council doesn't care about us or our troubles Uncle. If they did I'm sure they would have stopped the Alpha Pack by now. Don't you think that any of the other Packs they've decimated have done just that?" she said venom in her voice and her anger with the aforementioned groups obvious. "Don't you think that the Packs with a lot more influence and power have asked for the councils intervention? Do you think they ever did anything to help, no. Do you know why? Because it didn't gain them anything. The council used to be a fair and just governing party…at some time, but not in our lifetime I'm pretty sure."

Peter was actually looking around nervously as if he expected a fae spy to jump out and drag them all off to a fae dungeon somewhere. Derek was actually listening to her, he was scowling, but he was listening. The teens were listening to her, heck even the vet was listening. Although he too looked a little nervous but they were at least all listening.

"The council only cares if they gain something from intervening, another powerful fae, or money, or prestige or something useful. The dark fae only care if it's money or mayhap a little chaos. So who knows they might even be helping Decaulion's crew, but they aren't going to help us."

"We have to help ourselves. I wouldn't trust anyone from the council. How do you think they enslaved all of the Shifter Pack's in the old country's? Favors owed. Debts repaid over centuries." Peter actually looked shamed as if he remembered now. He should, Kenzi thought. It was him who had told her and her siblings the stories.

The boy Issac looked bruised. Physically, emotionally and mentally he looked like a walking bruise. As if he were literally a kicked puppy. Derek had given her an idea of his background and Kenzi had a fleeting thought of why people sometimes seemed to have stuff piled on them. One thing after the other, but then she thought about her brothers other Betas who were still being held captive and said firmly, "So let's talk strategies. We now have an idea where they are, let's talk about how to get them back." she said firmly.

Stiles raised his hand, "Actually I may have some ideas about that."

 **~O~**

 **Several days later:** Kenzi had decided that she really liked Stiles. He had come up with the plan to get the Betas back. He had even run interference to keep them from getting recaptured.. Then everybody else had pretty much ignored him. As far as she could tell the teen was a frigging genius.

She really wanted to smack her brother upside his head when the young man had basically volunteered to help and her brother had slapped him down. Then he had ended up risking becoming the Alpha Pack's chew toy to give the rest of the Pack the time they needed to free the captured members of their Pack and Cora!

He had saved several humans with the help of his friends Scott and Lydia he had managed to divert the maddened Pack members. Still her brother managed to alienate the trio as if they had done nothing. While nearly getting himself killed.

Being overlooked and ignored because you were "merely human". Yeah after the past couple of years McKenza could definitely identify with that. The funny thing was she didn't think it was deserved for either of the two "mere humans".

She'd met enough banshees up north to recognize their scent. The fact that neither Derek nor Deaton couldn't, not to mention her own uncle, "Clueless." she sing-songed under her breath.

Her uncle after the emissary was the Bolverk or doer of evil deeds. He was supposed to be an expert of any and all potential dangers that the Pack might potentially come in contact with. Including how to destroy those dangers in case it became an issue.

The fact he didn't recognize the strawberry blond teen for a banshee was mind boggling. Kenzi was also ready to have a fit about Deaton not even trying to train the young Spark. Thus she was at the vet clinic having the conversation with him, "I'm not a real Druid," he was trying to use as an excuse.

"No but you were enough of one that my Mom accepted you as her emissary for our Pack. Which meant that while you didn't have the power, you did know the spells and could train him."

The usually unflappable vet had nearly rolled his eyes at her. That's when Kenzi saw it, the real reason he didn't want to train the boy who could become his replacement at the least or possibly even his better. Kenzi didn't usually have the gift of prophecy or seeing. In that moment though, she saw the Spark as a full blown mage and standing at the right hand of her brother the Alpha. At his left was an equally red-eyed Scott McCall.

Her silver eyes glimmered with fury, as she stormed out of the vet's office wondering how much the Druid knew about what was really going on in their little town and just how much more he could have done to protect them all from the stuff that had been going on lately.

Instead of joining the others at the loft for the strategy meeting, she went to find Stiles. She found the teen at his house in his bedroom. She managed to get to the second story and eavesdrop. Just in time to hear Stiles offer to help someone on the phone. Before he could even finish the person on the other end of the call, probably her brother or uncle if she had to guess, shot the offer down.

He hung up looking both frustrated and dejected, "I think that's a great idea but I think you need a few quick lessons first."

Stiles looked startled at both her sudden appearance and that she was supporting his idea. As if he were used to being dismissed by the others, probably his father did the same thing too. Well that was going to end tonight if she had anything to say about it.

Stiles looked excited and intrigued with the idea, then a shadow crossed his face as he explained, "Uh, Kenzi, I'm not exactly the mot coordinated person around." So if you're planning on teaching me how to fight , might be better if you didn't, for both of our sakes."

"Trust me, I don't break that easy." Kenzi said with a decidedly feral look. "Besides not gonna be teaching you normal self defense. Are you a Harry Potter fan?"

"Of course," the teen said unabashedly. His expression clearly said, "Who wouldn't be?"

"Which one did you identify with more? Harry?" she asked silver eyes curious.

"Naw. When it all started I felt more like Ron. Kind of a klutz, fathers with the law more or less and lots of siblings. I always wanted siblings," Stiles explained, "Then discovered all of the stuff about werewolves and monsters were true and I wanted to be Hermoine, human having no idea any of this was real until one day it was and you were part of it. Then it was books, cleverness and being a bad ass magic user. Only they don't really have spell books for Sparks in the local library."

Kenzi was charmed by the young man's rambling explanation, "Yeah but a Spark doesn't necessarily need a spell as much as a ley line and a good imagination."

"I remember ley lines. From what I remember they are lines of power and magic in the earth. In ancient times people built structures like Stonehenge, the Pyramids and Macchu Piccu along ley lines to pull up the power for their rituals." the young man said his eyes going distant as he recalled the memories.

"I have a feeling your going to become a very good pupil," Kenzi said clearly impressed with his memory. "And for the record my favorite was Lupin. Naturally."

"Yeah, but werewolves don't do magic." Stiles said. "According to Deaton anyway."

"Deaton, is mistaken. Most werewolves don't do magic, because they can't access the ley lines. We can use the power that's in our spirits but its very draining and some think it draws the very life out of us." Her long dark hair went flying as she shook her head, "Superstitious bunch."

She went on to explain, "Most werewolves who know how to access the power within them still save it all up for a curse. The death curse is very powerful, very scary stuff."

"Death curse?" Stiles croaked questioningly.

"When a werewolf dies…" she hesitated remembering all of the deaths her own family had experienced and the near death experiences of a certain D-wolf. "It's a very powerful thing because its not usually supposed to happen. We're fae, we don't just die. It takes a lot to kill us and its not usually of natural causes, there's more than likely an element of violence involved. That makes it even more powerful. Anger, death, violence and vengeance are all usually elements of a werewolves death."

"Something that hunters either choose to ignore or they just don't know about." she said with a shrug.

"Are you saying Kate was probably cursed when…" then realizing how little the young woman probably wanted to talk about this subject Stiles mouth snapped shut with an audible click

"My mom was very powerful, I have a feeling her curse is still happening." Kenzi looked at the young man and continued, "I think she probably cursed all the Argents, not just Kate."

"And Erica," the Spark asked looking very saddened just mentioning his comatose friend.

Again the shrug, "She may not have been aware of it, it's a good thing she didn't use it though. It might have finished her off, before we found them. As weak as she was when we found her though, someone will feel the back lash from that."

Determined to take their minds off the darkness surrounding them right now so that the Spark could concentrate on using his vast imagination for the greater good, Kenzi said, "Now let's see if the great and powerful Stiles can match the Incredibleness that is the Kenzi."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N~ Had an idea for it to go a totally different way but the story itself had other ideas. Trying to catch up from last week so I hope you guys enjoy this. Please continue to read and enjoy and let me know what you think. ~A**

 **Chapter 6**

Kenzi takes Stiles to a warehouse on the outskirts of town. After explaining, "Magic can do a lot of harm when you first start out. So protecting the Muggle's is important." Stiles was half in love with the girl when she said that. Right up until he actually thought abut what she said and then he asked, "What about protecting the Stiles?"

Instead of answering she laughed, Stiles grumped she actually laughed at his very real concerns. "Alright so what do you like to do in your spare time? For fun or relaxation," Kenzi asked.

"Research," Stiles said simply. Kenzi squinted at him balefully, when she realized that the teen was being quite serious. The female werewolf shook her head as she said, "Remind me to have a talk with you later about life outside of the supernatural. In the meantime, you have to enjoy doing something else, besides research."

"Well, I like doing the cooking, I like lacrosse, I'm not great at it, but I enjoy the strategies in the game. I also enjoy playing video games, for pretty much the same reasons."

"Cooking and strategy, yeah we can work with that," she said thoughtfully and then grinned as she said, "Think of magic like it was a combination of recipes and strategy."

"You're a Spark that requires imagination, which with the gaming thing you probably have in ample supply. So that part is taken care of but you'll find some spells that require components a little bone dust here, a little mugwort there, you have to follow the recipe carefully. At least at first, when you get a little more confident with it, a little more experienced then it gets exciting. You get to think of it like any recipe. You experiment, add your own little flair, tweaking it to make it stronger, more effective, faster. After a while you may even be able to do the spell without the components."

Kenzi closed her eyes drew in a deep breath and turned to face him, her eyes opened and flashed gold. She was a beautiful woman and if Stiles hadn't been more interested in her brother he might have been so focused on that beauty that he didn't notice the staff that suddenly extended from her palm. He dodged back just as she swung out lightly with the weapon. If it had struck it wouldn't have killed him but would definitely have felt like being on the lacrosse field and hit by one of the beefier players.

Stiles felt the staff whistle past his face, the wind from the swipe actually moved his hair off of his forehead. Without thought and truthfully he didn't know where the action came from, Stiles held his hands up in a defensive gesture, finding his lacrosse stick in his hands to block her next move, a parry.

Both of them stared in surprise at the sporting equipment and Stiles drew it back and began to inspect it. He whispered, "There's my mark, this is my stick. I left it back at the house though. It was up in my room, leaning against one corner of my room."

"Teleportation is pretty advanced stuff," Kenzi agreed. Tracing the section of stick that Stiles had indicated had his mark, sure enough there was a nick out of the lacrosse stick about midway down. It was curved but there was no spur or splinter. Conjuration would have been like pulling a rabbit out of thin air."

"You mean like what you did with the staff?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, you also put that strategic part of your brain to good use, and you're fast. All excellent traits Stiles, I have to say I'm impressed. Really. No formal training and you're doing this stuff, already. I'm almost worried about what you're going to come up with." she said with a wicked grin.

He tilted his head slightly to offer an equally evil smile back and said, "Why do I think you're actually looking forward to it?"

"Oh I definitely am. I think you're going to be a lot of fun actually. I can hardly wait." Kenzi said as the staff turned into golden light and disappeared from sight. "First things first, basic defensive spells," she said her eyes flashing gold at the memory of the fae trials. Bo's first introduction to other fae, well other than Kenzi of course. The one who had messed with her mind, the thought of something like that going up against Stiles, didn't sit well with the grey eyed woman.

"Last I heard of Kali she worked with a druid, if the druid taught Kali any tricks, you need to be able to counter them." Kenzi said thoughtfully and a little morosely she remembered the little factoid from a conversation between Trick and Dyson. When they thought their little human was three sheets to the wind. She did her best intelligence gathering at those times, although it was annoying as all hell to be treated like she was part of the furniture.

She shook her head, her long hair swinging around her face softly. Determined to concentrate on keeping her Pack safe and training this human member so he wouldn't end up being the weakest link and might just end up being the strongest member of the Pack. Maybe even worthy of being the Alpha's mate.

Stiles looked at Kenzi with just a hint of trepidation as the expression on her face had turned positively Machiavellian, he was about to ask what she was thinking when she said, "Let's get started."

 **~O~**

Dyson stared at the screen in horror and quite frankly shock. He was familiar with the expression "someone walking over his grave". He was probably around when the term was coined. The chill that went down his spine and the raised hairs that rippled along his arms made him even more aware of the saying.

He was staring into Kenzi's face and it belonged if the search results were to be believed to one of the survivors of the Hale Pack destruction. The family had been from Beacon Hills, and were the hereditary protectors of that area and the Nemeton that grew there

The Nemeton acted as a beacon for the supernatural and had been active for a very long time. Even though its power had been reduced by someone cutting it down, it still called to fae and they answered by coming. Hunters also came, and one hunter family in particular.

Although supposedly a pact was arranged between the two families, it had long been suspected that one of the Hunters had been behind the fire that had killed nearly the whole Pack. The timing had been a little too convenient because of the Wolf Moon reunions occurring the night of the fire.

The face on his computer screen was clearly Kenzi, a slightly younger version but still clearly the same woman. The crimes were misdemeanors and all pretty typical teenaged mischief, then she suddenly disappeared shortly after the fire. There was a little blurb at the bottom that said, "It is suspected that she perished in the fire."

Except he knew that wasn't the case, because she had been here. He set that part aside for the time being because she was really a Hale. One of _the_ Hales, of Beacon Hills. The Pack had been practically royalty before the passing of Talia Hale. Her daughter Laura had been Alpha after she had passed. Now he wasn't sure and the fact that Kenzi had disappeared now and on family business… raised a lot of questions for the wolf.

One, why would Kenzi lie about who she was. Ok so she hadn't actually lied, she had told them McKenzie Hale was one of her aliases. Two why would she imply she had no idea who fae were or let them know she was a werewolf. Three how had she pulled it off? Scent alone especially considering his lineage should have given it away.

Of course considering her past a little paranoia was to be expected, after all the fae council had been suspected to be behind the attack on the Hale Pack initially. There were still rumors floating around about their involvement with the Hunters. So suspicion from this particular werewolf about the fae council could be ore than understandable when she came in contact with mainstream fae.

Hadn't he…they earned her trust after all this time though? Trick and he had practically nursed her back to health after the foot soup incident. He thought he had made his feelings for the little human clear but then he had also made it very clear on the multitude of times that she had angered him as well.

Bo had made her feelings for the young Goth woman clear as well. Of course Bo was also an unaligned fae. An unheard of thing, and while it drew more attention to Bo it also shone a light on her supposed little human. Fae often went for the weakest link and yet Kenzi had survived. Now Dyson wondered how much of that was because of her "amazing luck" and how much was because she was a werewolf fae hiding in plain sight.

Of course Bo may also be a little pissed that Kenzi had hidden this from her. Come to think of it why was Kenzi hiding who she was. Perhaps she too suspected the council of being involved in the deaths of her family. His thoughts were honestly everywhere at the moment. He suddenly had the urge to go and find the younger fae and have a long talk, see shouting match, with her.

How to take a leave and go track her down without the interest of his partner, former girl friend, mentor and the fae council being piqued, that was the thing.

 **~O~**

Kenzi begins training Stiles.. The magic comes easily to the young Spark, and when the time comes Kenzi is totes going to take credit for that. Stiles had taken one look at the small amount of mountain ash in the vial and raised his eyebrow and said, "You're kidding right?"

"Judge me by my size, do you?" Kenzi said with an accent.

Stiles eyes widened and sparkled as he said, "Oh thank god." He hugged her enthusiastically and as he spun her around he added, "I was beginning to wonder how long I would have to deal with these blasphemers. At last someone who has at least seen the movies." He set Kenzi back on the ground and bowing with a flourish before her. "I am your humble padiwan milady."

Kenzi was giggling by the time the teen had placed her back on her feet. But still had a smile on her face as she held up the vial again. "You know what this is, obviously."

"Yeah but what am I supposed to do with that little bit? Make a circle around a salamander?" Stiles said sarcastically.

"Don't mock salamanders." Kenzi said sharply. "They're five and a half feet of claws, teeth, scales and fire." She said and thumped him in the center of his head with thumb and forefinger, as a reminder.

"This would be enough mountain ash," she said holding up the vial again, to actually make a good sized circle around you and a few Pack mates." She reached into her voluminous messenger bag and pulled out a small sized peanut butter jar that was again about half full of mountain ash.

"This is enough to encircle a fair sized building, not that you have to do that usually. Just putting it around the doors and windows, will keep your enemy out. Unfortunately it also keeps your Pack in, which can make them sitting ducks if the enemy decided to say burn down the building. And that's where the strategy starts to kick in." she said powering past the awkwardness of the Hale fire. "Let's keep going…"

The Goth werewolf does each task just once to demonstrate how to perform a spell. By the end of half an hour Stiles had managed to circle himself with a mountain ash shield. By the end of an hour the dark haired teen had formed a baseball sized ball of energy, that stayed under his control for a grand total of two minutes.

Two hours after that she watched though as the kid flamed out literally and had to use her limited reserves to trip the antiquated sprinkler into releasing a rusty, smelly shower of water on the blaze Stiles had started.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N~ A little warning for the language. Mild cursing and so forth. Hope you guys are enjoying this. ~A**

Chapter 7

Dyson Thornwood found himself in front of the Ashe. The man hadn't endeared himself to Bo when she found out he had used Lauren against her. Of course come to that neither had the lady doctor. Normally that would have been music to the werewolves ears, except right now he really didn't want to be the center of Bo's attention.

As it was standing in front of the rather pompous head of the light fae was giving the detective a headache and fae didn't get headaches. Explaining that he needed a few personal days had been hard enough when he was in front of his captain. In that case though considering he had accrued nearly a month and a half of sick, personal and vacation days, there wasn't a lot for the other man to do other than give his approval.

Fae, there were always going to be questions, not that it was anyone's business but his own. However, the Ashe, the Morrigan and the two councils seemed to see things a little differently. So as Dyson had headed toward the light fae compound he had developed a cover that he hoped would get him out of any type of interrogation.

"I will be leaving for several weeks and will be unreachable for that time," Dyson said simply when it was his turn to face the Ashe.

"Except of course for us," the Ashe said snobbishly.

Annoyance lanced through the fae werewolf as he responded. "No I mean that I will be incommunicado to everyone."

"Unacceptable, you will change…" the Ashe began.

"I will not discuss with you or anyone else what I intend to do on my seeking of a mate. Nor will I change these plans for you or anyone else." the words came out of Dyson's mouth along with a low-level growl that not everyone in the room heard but everyone definitely felt.

It was almost hysterical how fast the fae leaders mouth snapped shut. The seeking of a mate by the fae was considered almost a holy quest, especially among the shifters. To interfere with it was one of the few things where killing another fae if they interfere was acceptable.

Dyson hadn't taken on the quest in centuries because he thought that Ciara had been it for him. His soul mate gone to a friend and then lost to a traitorous leader. He really hadn't intended to use the search in this way but under the circumstances it was a worthy cause. Yet when he had heard the words coming out of his mouth it had felt right to say them now.

The look the Ashe was giving him was entirely too speculative for Dyson's peace of mind though. The fae leader brushed an invisible wrinkle out of his clothing as he said chidingly, "We weren't aware you were seeking a mate?"

"Seeking a mate is not something discussed outside of family, since I have no family left to speak of, there was no need to discuss it." Dyson said formally having regained his cool and a throbbing in the center of his forehead.

"So should we expect a bans to announce the nuptials between you and the unaligned succubus?" An unholy grin spread across the other faes face as he said, "I suppose there is more than one way to have her choose a side." he added gleefully.

Not so long ago Dyson would have agreed with the fae leader. He knew better now and dissuaded the other man f his ideas, "The succubus neither has the emotional depth or the control to even consider monogamy at this stage in her development."

The Ashe looked surprised and disappointed as he accepted Dyson's statements for the honest assessment they were, "Then I take it this will be a True Seeking?" the supposed elder asked.

"Yes. Therefore I will be unreachable. I thought you would prefer to be told."

Dyson said with a bit more respect.

"Thank you for your courtesy in this matter, Detective Thornwood." The Ashe said moderately, obviously trying to scheme a way to use this to his advantage. "Especially considering the private nature of the matter."

Since there seemed to be nothing else to discuss Dyson bobbed his head in a perfunctory bow and turned to leave. The Ashe though always having to have the last word said, "Detective?"

When the werewolf turned back the Ashe raised an eyebrow and said, "Good luck."

 **~O~**

Stiles wasn't sure how Kenzi had gotten him back to his house, he had no memory of going upstairs to his room and he definitely hadn't undressed himself and put on his pajamas. He knew this because these were the worst pajamas ever. They were this extremely dorky paisley pattern, and about two sizes two big still. His aunt had given them to him for Christmas year before last and reassured the young Spark that he would grow into them. He still hadn't yet.

He stared at himself in the mirror, his hair had the spiky consistency it got when he had taken a shower and hadn't conditioned his hair. With an inordinate amount of trepidation, he tugged the waistband down on the pajama bottoms to find a different pair of boxer briefs on than before.

He was wearing the red orange pair with a black band. Yesterdays pair had been green with a gray band. The blush that suffused him, went all the way to his hairline. The knowledge that someone had seen him with bare pale skin and bone, and not much else, made him uncomfortable on several different levels.

He grabbed a t-shirt and jeans, socks and another pair of boxer briefs. It was obvious that these were fresh and clean before they had been put on him. The fact that they had been put on him without his participation though made him so uncomfortable he couldn't keep them and go through the rest of the day. He took off the accursed pajamas and the questionable underwear and climbed in the still cold water of the shower.

He showered and waited for his hair to be saturated before treating it with the conditioner. He then used his shower gel, his usual routine only took a few minutes, then he rinsed off, toweled dry and climbed out. Socks first, underwear and jeans, and then brushing his teeth. He was trying to remember what they had in the fridge to make for breakfast. Thank heavens it was Sunday, as he recalled their cupboards were practically bare and he would have the store to himself for the most part this afternoon.

Someone knocked on his door quickly as he was pulling on his trainers. He looked up to answer only to have Kenzi peek around the door and tell him, "Hurry up, we're waiting!"

"We? Who's we?"

"Derek, your dad, and me," she said, brows raised innocently and then furrowed as she studied him. "Why'd you shower again?"

Stiles own eyebrows raised as he said, "I took a shower last night?"

"Well not by yourself," admitted the gray eyed young woman, "you were so out of it we were afraid you'd fall asleep standing up in there so Derek took it with you."

For a split second Stiles wasn't sure if he was grateful that it hadn't been Kenzi helping him or even more mortified because it had been Derek in the shower with him. Who was he kidding he was mortified, his self esteem wasn't bad he just knew he was nowhere near the looks of the hunky Alpha wolf. "Derek saw me naked?" he whisper yelled at the young woman.

"Calm down, its not like you're the first male body he's seen." she looked lie she was going to say more but Stiles interrupted.

"Not reassuring Kenzi," Stiles said only slightly more calm as he continued, "Now he not only has to compare my skinny ass with his own tanned perfection but other muscle bound werewolves types as well, peachy."

He rushed past her before they could continue this highly embarrassing conversation and was halfway down the steps before the scent of food had his mouth watering. As he turned the corner there was his father and Derek dishing out Styrofoam take away dishes of food. There were breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, sausage, and peppers stuffed and smothered with cheese and a large tray of crispy hash browns as well as several cups of very strong coffee. As soon as his father saw him, John handed his son one of the cups of coffee.

Stiles gave his father a beatific smile and told the younger man, "You are a god among men." Before taking several sips of scalding hot coffee. It kept his hands and mouth occupied so he hopefully wouldn't say anything too embarrassing. His father looked calm and smiling, so he figured they hadn't mentioned anything about werewolves, kidnappings or killings yet.

Stiles looked down at the breakfast fare and said accusingly to his father, "You went to the Bait and Tackle shop."

The Hale siblings watched as the Sheriff stuffed half a burrito in his mouth and chewed thoroughly and swallowed even before trying to answer. His response of "We are Apex predators Stiles, we were not meant to get by on rabbit food." had his son choking on his coffee.

Stiles then turned his accusing stare on the two werewolves who were watching the by play with eyes widened in surprise. Nope those expressions were innocent his dad was protesting his sons moratorium on fat, grease, salt, sugar and anything else unhealthy for his father. Stiles sighed and said, "Dad, you're the only family I have left," he looked at the others apologetically. Knowing this might be a sensitive subject for the Hales to hear, as he continued, "If a few dietary changes keep you with me longer, I'll make sure you eat like a chipmunk if I have too."

The Sheriff looked abashed for his outburst but still kept eating the cheesy goodness of the burrito, "You know there might be a better way," Kenzi offered,

as she shoveled some of the hash browns onto her plate.

Stiles looked up sharply and started shaking his head vigorously even though his father could clearly see him. The she wolf scowled at her student and friend, before she continued ignoring both of the other males in the kitchen. "Stiles, you need to tell him, do you think the Alpha's are going to leave the humans out of this little Battle Royale, they're cooking up? Plus I don't think they're the only players in this game. It would be better if he knew what was going on and was better prepared for what he might face." The teen was opening his mouth to argue with her until he finished hearing what she had said.

Wolves bane and mountain ash, that's what she was talking about. The sheriff's department couldn't even afford body armor for its officers. These men were going up against werewolves and who knew what other kinds of supernatural creatures. They didn't even have bulletproof vest at least informed they might have better arms and bullets that would actually work against the enemies they could be facing. At least a fighting chance, which was more than they had now.

Stiles stared into those grey eyes and saw a ghost pass over them. Her mother and her pack had been cut down by people who had used these very weapons against them. This time it could be used to help their small pack, which Kenzi had assured him he was a member of. The fact the Alpha was sitting in his house at his kitchen island having breakfast with he and his father seemed to prove this out.

Not to mention it would ease his mind and his guilt over not telling his dad the truth about what was going on in his town. "Dad, are you off today," Stiles knew the answer but it gave him a few extra seconds to collect his thoughts.

The older mans eyes danced between the trio as they all seemed to be having a conversation with only looks and eyebrows but he answered with a tired snort, "Yeah, I'm off. At least until something else happens and they call me in. Why?"

"I think we have something to tell you," Stiles said and turned worried eyes to meet Johns own. The fact that the older Hale sibling rose to his full height and moved to stand at his son's shoulder had the Sheriff's gaze following the younger mans movements. He saw his expression though and recognized the protectiveness that Scott McCall had once had for his son. "So what's the big news?" he asked.

 **~O~**

Decaulion was very unhappy with the rest of his Pack. Not only had the middle Hale sister been able to slip right past them at the terminal. The youngest Hale and the two Betas they had managed to capture had also been rescued by the rest of the Pack.

The problem was he didn't know which of his Pack members to blame. He certainly couldn't blame himself, nor could he afford to accuse his informant on the council. That would be tantamount to suicide.

He had no idea how the elusive young McKenza had slipped through his fingers, nor which of the Hale Pack had created the plan to free their Pack mates. If he blamed Ennis or Kali he would have to face the other. They may not be a mated pair yet, but they were definitely a pair. They would watch each others back and the Twins while lesser Alpha's were stronger wolves especially when they combined themselves into the Super Alpha.

Then a spark of inspiration came to the Alpha. If he could arrange a battle between Derek and Ennis the two would kill each other thus weakening heir Pack. He was the Alpha of the Alpha Pack so Ennis power would come to him. He could also arrange it so that the Hales and their Pack would get the blame for Ennis death. Relieving him of the blame and Kali's anger and loss of Ennis.

This plan had potential it was merely a matter of timing and working out where to have the battle. The Alpha would figure it out, he was the apex of Apex predators after all. The boost of power he would get from either Kali or Ennis was worth the loss of an Alpha wolf.

The younger bitten wolf would be a good addition to his Pack. He would just have to get the youngster to kill off all of his friends and fellow Pack members. He looked around at his Pack, his band of murderers and thought to himself, should be a piece of cake.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N~ Yeah so this is a little mixed up but then so were these episodes truthfully and this is supposed to be AU anyway. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hope you enjoy and please review. ~A**

 **Chapter 8**

Bo is a little startled when her phone rings in the middle of the night. Okay so it was more like 2 in the afternoon, but to her it was the middle of the night. "So have you heard from her?"

The succubus sighed in a very put upon air as she replied, "No Hale I haven't heard from her yet. I take it you haven't heard from her either."

"No not yet and now on top of everything else, Dyson has bugged out for parts unknown," the Siren said in a gossipy tone.

"Wait…what? When did that happen?" Hale now had her full attention. As she pushed herself up in the bed.

"Apparently, some time in the last twenty four to forty eight hours. He not only announced that he was taking some personal time to our boss at the cop shop but also went before the Ashe and this is a big deal." the fae replied in a confidential manner.

"What's a big deal?" Bo asked in a confused tone.

"Really Bo?" Hale exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "I though the lady doc was supposed to be educating you on this stuff." The succubus gratefully didn't inform Hale that the education Lauren was giving her wasn't in relation to anything to do with the fae in general. "Anytime, anyone goes in front of the Ashe it's a big deal."

Ok so why did he go in front of the Ashe in this instance?" Bo asked getting a little exasperated herself, with the Siren and his professional status as a gossip. "

"He told the Ashe that he was going to seek his mate and that he had no intention of returning without that person," Hale replied seriously.

"Really!" she said excitedly before something occurred to her. "Wait you said this happened within the past forty-eight hours or so? Why hasn't he showed up here yet?"

"He never identified who his mate was at least not to the Ashe. As a matter of fact he kind of scolded the Ashe for "invading his privacy". Most of the council found the whole thing kind of amusing at the Ashe's expense. He looked ready to spit nails but something came up that distracted his attention. Lucky for Dyson." Hale said before adding, "He hasn't really been seen since then."

"What the hells is going on with everyone?" Bo asked the universe in frustration.

 **~O~**

Scott is waiting for his mom to get off work. Leaning against his car texting his friends as he's waiting for his mom. He is suddenly no longer alone, Kali and the twins have him surrounded when Decaulion comes out of the darkness.

"Humans are such fragile things," Decaulion says with a sinister smile, "and your mother is so lovely, It would be such a shame if anything were to happen to her."

The Alpha is trying to make a deal with Scott, coerce him into joining their Pack. The only thing is he has to help them kill his former Pack. Scott is just about to turn him down, "My mom taught me better than to trust…"

When Ennis comes out of the side entrance of the hospital practically dragging Melissa by the arm. Scott is both proud and terrified when he sees his mother is fighting the whole way kicking the hell out of the bigger werewolves shins. Then suddenly someone wearing a motorcycle helmet comes out of the bushes and cold cocks the werewolf, pulling Melissa behind him.

The Argents also appear and using arrows and bullets chase the rest of the Alpha Pack away. Not before Decaulion offers the parting shot of, "I'm looking forward to our next meeting Mr. McCall." Decaulion says before fading into the night. Scott runs to his mother and helps her to her feet where she had been shoved behind the stranger into the bushes. Hugging her close, he notices that the stranger had also disappeared, just as quickly as he had appeared.

Later that same evening, having convinced Issac to watch over his mom, for a few minutes while he has a conversation with Deaton. The young werewolf goes to the vet's clinic and watches as he makes one of his herbal remedies.

"I'm trying to figure out a way of getting out of this agreement Decaulion is trying to get me to make with him." He is pacing restlessly as he tells Deaton, "They're threatening my mom, Doc. My mom!"

Scott confesses to Deaton, "I'm afraid Derek may end up getting us all killed if they're not careful. I'm just not sure how I can stop any of this."

"Maybe the trick isn't to stop them but to guide them." Alan says as he begins portioning the remedy out between the prepared jars. "The job of a good Beta is to support his Alpha but offer different options, as well."

"Although it does make one wonder," the druid said thoughtfully as he began to screw lids onto the bottles, "Why is Decaulion so focused on you, and making you part of his Pack?"

 **~O~**

"Really Stiles I thought I had taught you better than this. This is not one of your stupid video games. Or is this supposed to be one of those RPG thingies." the Sheriff asked. Both of the Hale siblings looked at one another with equal parts confusion and incredulity on their faces.

"Dad, do you see a controller in my hand?" his son said although his voice was slightly muffed as his face was in his hands. "Look Dad, werewolves are real, monsters are real, things that go bump in the night are real. I'm only telling you this so you and the rest of the deputies can be properly prepared for the sh…stuff that's probably about to hit the fan."

His father actually looked over his shoulder and said, "You're not doing him any favors by supporting him in these delusions, daydreams, whatever they are. You should know better both of you, you're adults, you really shouldn't be…"

"You really shouldn't doubt your son," Kenzi said. Stiles saw his father go for his gun, luckily it was still sitting in the gun safe in the top of the hall closet. Where he had placed it as usual when he had come home from work last night. Stiles was off of his stool and around the island before his father could manage to regain enough of his senses to head toward the hall.

When he could block his father he looked back toward Kenzi. The grey eyed woman now had gold colored eyes and her face had twisted into the Beta face of a werewolf. "Dad, calm down! It's still Kenzi. Calm down!" He said soothingly.

The elder Stilinski wasn't able to articulate at all for a few minutes, Kenzi's face slowly receded back into her human features. Her brother meanwhile was being stoic as always. He sniffed for a minute and found the whiskey and a glass. He poured a splash of the alcohol into the tumbler and slid it towards Stiles father.

When Stiles scowled at him, the Alpha merely shrugged at the young Spark and said, "For medicinal purposes." The scowl didn't lessen after his father grabbed the glass of amber liquid and guzzled it down in one gulp before setting the glass back on the countertop with a crack. The teen flinched when his father actually spoke again.

"Why didn't you tell me before now?" he said and the cold tone didn't help Stiles at all. Stiles indicated his father, the island, and the empty glass sitting on top of it.

"Maybe because I knew this is how you would react," the teen said in his own exasperated tone. "I didn't seek this out Dad, it sort of found me. Now that it has though I'm not going to shut my eyes again. These people are my friends, and when they're in trouble I'm not going to just ignore that because it's inconvenient or dangerous." Stiles knew he had said too much as soon as the words had left his mouth.

"Dangerous?" the sheriff asked and there was a tone there that he used during his interrogation sessions. He didn't really have to say anything else.

"Come on Dad," Stiles responded in a combination of exasperation and discomfort, "They're werewolves. You got to know they're going to have more enemies than just Hunters and that they're going to be just as supernatural as these guys." He said jerking his thumb at the siblings who were still standing in the kitchen, eating the now cooling breakfast. "Plus they're set up where they're the kind of de facto protectors of the territory. You and the rest of law enforcement not withstanding. So yeah dangerous is also to be expected."

The older man looked at the three of them and said, "I don't like it. Making the young people the protectors of a territory? What kind of people do that?"

Stiles looked at the Hale siblings who were having one of their sibling conversation that involved eyebrow wiggling and no real mouths moving. Finally the young Spark reminded them they weren't actually speaking, "Guys?"

Kenzi finally tuned to the Stilinski men and said, "I don't feel comfortable calling you Sheriff or Mr. Stilinski for this conversation. Mind if I call you by your first name." The older man nodded his head absently as he watched her go in search of another tumbler before pulling the bottle of whiskey from her brothers fingers.

The younger fae slammed the first glass of alcohol back like it was nothing and for her it pretty much was , "Alright John you're Polish, so you may know a few stories, legends, folk tales, that sort of thing from the old country." He watched as the young woman slammed back another drink. "A lot of those legends are true, or based on a true thing."

The Sheriff tried not to but he actually snorted as he said, "So what the Dragon of Cracow was real?"

Kenzi shrugged, "Based on a real thing, actually met one of those, she and her dad were both a little psycho. Werewolves are really werewolves. Vampires are real but most of the stories are based on succubus, which are also real."

Seeing the senior Stilinski's confused expression she wrinkled her nose cutely and said, "Rusalka. Supposed to be tree or water spirits of girls murdered by men. So their spirits suck the life right out of men who come too close to the forest or water the girls protect by having sex with them. The rest of the story is pretty much a bunch of shit but the whole having sex to suck the life out of 'em, Oh yeah that parts definitely real."

"Like I said a bunch of the old folk tales are real," Gray eyes stared at the bottle for a minute before putting the lid back on the bottle and giving it to her brother. "Put it away," she told him firmly. Derek's eyebrows went up whether because he was surprised or impressed Stiles couldn't decipher and the sheriff didn't seem to notice. He was actually listening to the younger woman with rapt attention.

"Basically think less Disney and more the old Grimm fairy tales, Tolkien, and the stories your grandparents used to tell you. We're a lot more varied and many of us can pass for human, and a few even try to protect humans, but even a lot of the good fae only see humans as a food source or as useful pets. Part of the reason I hate them." Kenzi said vehemently. The she wolf looked around like she was already missing the bottle of whiskey before continuing, "Like in Tolkien there are the light fae, the various types of elves, and wizards and such and the dark fae with orcs, their own kind of wizards and even some people who are so beautiful they can't be believed."

John Stilinski looked as if he too were wishing for the bottle back. He spent the next several minutes processing the information he had just received. He turned his attention from where Kenzi was sitting in front of him back to his son. Stiles was once again sitting beside Kenzi at the island and the older Hale sibling was standing behind his son and as he watched the older Hale put a hand on each of the younger people's shoulder. With a sigh he said, "Why now?"

Stiles didn't pretend he didn't know what his father was talking about. He looked over his shouder at the Hale siblings and received nods of approval from the pair and a smile of encouragement from Kenzi. He proceeded to explain about the Alpha Pack and then he had to explain about Alpha's, Beta's and Omega's.

"So you're not actually a werewolf?" The Sheriff asked seriously.

Stiles answered honestly, "No dad I'm not a werewolf."

"He's a Spark," Derek replied, and everyone was startled because other than a couple of sentences the Alpha had been mostly monosyllabic.

Of course then Kenzi broke in and said, "I think he's going to be the strongest Spark we've seen in many generations, possibly even a mage."

"Are you sure this isn't a video game?" the Sheriff asked weakly. Then his father asked the one question that Stiles didn't really know the answer to. "So what's your position in the Pack?"

Stiles didn't have a position in the Pack anymore. Since Scott had started ignoring him and paying more attention to Allison and then Issac. Stiles knew he was no longer in his best friends Pack. "He's a Beta, and possibly an emissary once Kenza finishes training him." The Alpha offered once again surprising all of them.

John Stilinski looked surprised and a little proud at the pronouncement and then he repeated his previous question. "So why are you telling me now?"

"If you know you can defend yourself," Stiles explained, "You can get mountain ash and wolves bane bullets from Argent Arms. It's up to you if you want to tell your deputies and if you do which ones you tell." The teen then explained about the two items and what else they could be used for.

His father looked a little dazed for a few more seconds before a Spark of his old humor appeared and he said, "At least it's cheaper than silver I suppose."

Kenzi gave a very unladylike snort as Stiles stared at his father, with his mouth hanging open. Derek began to chuckle quietly behind the younger Spark. His voice was a little rusty like it hadn't been used for laughing in a while. Stiles found himself entranced by the sound though. He decided that since he was a member of Derek's Pack he was going to spend as much of his time as possible to try and repeat the experience several times. He smiled to himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N~ Hope everyone is enjoying this story, and will continue to do so. Please continue to read and review, I adore positive feedback. Even more than peanut butter, chocolate and caffeine. All of which I would probably mainline if I could get away with it. ~A**

 **Chapter 8**

Bo was studying Lauren's computer while her lady was at work. Although Kenzi was the de facto researcher for the pair of part-time detectives, Bo wasn't completely computer illiterate. Truth was though right now she wasn't even on the internet or trying to hack anything. Which was probably a good thing, she admitted to herself, her little buddy had confided to her that while Bo could kick ass with the best of them, hacking was beyond the succubus scope.

No right now Bo was studying her girlfriends past work. Apparently at some point in the course of her research on the fae, Lauren had made a study of where the higher concentration of fae were. At least along the western seaboard and on into Canada and down into parts of Mexico.

There were groups in and around Seattle and Tacoma, others in Portland, and as the succubus had jokingly expected several rather large concentrations scattered through different parts of California. Spread out throughout the state, some in the larger towns like LA and San Francisco obviously and from everything she had heard she wasn't really surprised to see there was a rather large concentration near Sonoma.

There were a couple of smaller towns that she had never heard of that had a surprisingly high concentration of the fae considering the small concentration of humans in the area. Towns she had never even heard of before, like Sunnydale. Which sounded completely charming and harmless until you read the name given to it by the original Spanish settlers, which basically meant "Mouth of Hell" in English.

She mentally cringed, as she continued to read and wasn't terribly surprised to read some of the details of some of the strange goings on of the town, including the fact that apparently the entire town had disappeared. People, pets, buildings had all vanished all in one night, including a stunning 72 churches. "Even humans aren't usually that religious," she said to herself, even as she thought, "Not without a reason anyway."

This was followed closely by the even smaller town of Beacon Hills, further north and more inland than it's supposed sunny counterpart. Beacon Hills was nestled within a valley surrounded by the foothills at the edge of the Cascade and Klamath Mountain Ranges. Perfectly idyllic until you started reading about all of the animal attacks, Satanic rituals, mysterious deaths and disappearances, etc. Especially considering the fact the population was less than 6000.

From what Bo had heard, the usual math was about one fae per one thousand humans. Beacon Hills boasted a whopping one per a hundred, the lady doctor offered no explanation for the unusually high concentration in her thesis, which made the rather dry reading all the more interesting for the succubus. She did love a mystery after all.

 **~O~**

Derek had headed back to the loft that the Hales were using as a home to see about Cora. Their sister hadn't really been herself for several days now and the Alpha was more than a little concerned because their kind didn't usually get sick, either as fae or werewolves.

Stiles and Kenzi had decided to go get in a little more practice at their workout space which was an abandoned warehouse. Stiles was telling Kenzi about the Coach wanting to take the track team out of town for an intramural competition. Which would have been fine except none of the Pack felt safe going out of town with the Alpha Pack causing trouble.

The only positive about the whole situation was that one of the Alpha Twins was also going out of town having been recently added to the roster of the track team. "Because he cheated and used his "werewolf power," Stiles said with a scowl.

"So you're telling me that you don't use your powers when you're out on the field or track, or pitch or whatever you want to call it?" demanded gesturing with her hands vigorously.

"No we do not," Stiles said righteously, "No matter how tempting it is, not even when Jackson was here and I'm sorry but he totally deserved it."

Kenzi honestly couldn't tell if the Spark was telling the truth or not. She merely smiled at the human affectionately but the smile melted from her face as the scent of werewolf hit her. "Not Pack", her inner wolf howled. Even as the female wolf appeared in their path, Kenzi grabbed Stiles arm and tried to back track only to find the twins behind them, blocking their path that way.

Kenzi cursed herself vehemently, "Should have been paying closer attention."

"Well, well, well, what have we here? It is a lovely night for a stroll. Has Scott misplaced his pets then?" the older female said her nails actually clicking on the sidewalk as she sidled closer to the pair.

The twins boxed them in, but kept their distance, staring at the pair. Stiles may or may not have recognized Kali in the darkness but he definitely recognized the twins from school. He was cautious but friendly enough as he spoke to the older woman even as he placed his arm on Kenzi's. The Goth she wolf was sure it was more to know where she was than protectiveness, as the teen spoke to the Alpha in his most charming tone, "Good evening Ms. Kali. Yes it is a lovely night, are you taking in the air, as well. I know when you get to be a certain age, menopause may become an issue, those hot flashes, they can be a bitch can't they. Well we wouldn't want to keep you, I know the hormones can affect your temper. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

The twins were trying very hard not to laugh, and failing miserably. Kali just looked confused but beginning to realize that while Stiles had a straight face and a charming smile he was basically insulting the female Alpha, left, right and center. Kenzi was simply staring at the teen with her mouth open. Stiles was usually ballsy but this was impressive even for the younger humans standards.

Kali's confused anger had quickly cleared and now she was smiling but there was nothing charmed or amused about it. "Thank you ever so much Stiles, it is Stiles isn't it?"

Kenzi could sense the tension in her companion as Kali stepped closer but he only responded ever so politely, "Yes ma'am, that's me."

"Ah good we've been looking for you. Well both of you technically. Imagine our luck in finding Scott's best friend and lady love together." the she Alpha's throaty voice growled, "And of course your charm has helped in deciding which one of you we're going to take and which we're going to leave for Scott as an example. Decaulion wanted Scott to kill his own Pack members but considering he's never killed before, our Alpha thought he might need an example of how it's done."

With that Kali and the twins all lunged forward but whoever each was reaching for, didn't matter, none of them made contact. Stiles rushed forward and under the Alpha females grasp and merely placed his hand on her chest. The hand was glowing and suddenly Kali was up in the air about a foot off the ground before being slammed into the pavement. Cracks actually emanated out from where she had landed, but Stiles had already stood and faced the Twins.

Kenzi was already handling the duo though, she had grabbed the closer of the pair as he had lunged at her and used his own momentum to slam him into the wall of the closest building. A tanker truck drove by just as Stiles sent a blast of energy into the other twin sending him flying into the side of the truck. Luckily the twins sudden impact didn't perforate the side of the tanker, it merely put a teen sized dent in it.

The Spark grabbed Kenzi by the arm again and took off running in the direction of the warehouse. He was hoping beyond hope that they could make it there before they got caught because under Kenzi's instruction he had set wards around it both to keep any magical misadventures in and any unwanted guests out.

Kali and the wolf who had flown into a wall face first recovered the most quickly. Collecting themselves the pair of Alphas were about to take off after their prey. What neither of them saw was a red haired slender man who suddenly grabbed both by their collars and snatched them backwards and off of their feet, and once again slamming both into the pavement.

When the pair were joined by Ethan, who had flown into the tanker truck it was to discover the red-haired werewolf now armed with a pair of ASP batons. Dyson smiled as the three faced him in a crouched fighting stance. His expression didn't change, as the female Alpha roared in his face, "You're going to regret interfering in our games."

"Don't bet on it," the werewolf replied as he stabbed the tip of the ASP into Kali's abdomen and then brought it up sharply under her jaw. The twins attacked and he raked first one baton, then the other across their faces. Then his movements became even faster and a bit more staccato as the metal of the batons rang with each and every hit. By the time it was over the fae werewolf was still standing and putting the now retracted ASP wands back into their sheaths.

The other three werewolves were lying on the ground in various levels of consciousness, honestly more unconscious than conscious. He scented the air and found Kenzi's scent as well as something else faintly familiar. However, the memory of the scent was so old he couldn't really place it, so he ignored it for the time being.

Dyson had a few scratches and one rather deep claw mark on his side. "Now how did my little human get involved with you idiots." He shakes his head and begins to track Kenzi and her friend, ignoring the trio on the ground after their beat down. He may be an Omega but he had been a warrior for centuries, this lot hadn't stood a chance.

 **~O~**

Derek and Peter were sitting in the loft trying to figure out what Decaulion's game plan was between the two of them. Peter may have been pretending that he didn't care but he was just as concerned about Cora as his nephew was. She was the youngest Hale left and the fact that he intended to have her as one of his Beta's if he ever got to be Alpha for more than a few psychotic weeks.

Currently the young woman was in her bed near the entrance to the loft and tossing and turning. Both Derek and Peter had snuck over and Peter had actually managed to take her temperature with their hands without the younger werewolf waking up. She was feverish and Derek was convinced that her temperature had risen. Other than that at the moment she didn't seem to be showing any other signs or symptoms of any illness.

"So other than trying to kill us all what do you think Decaulion's plan for us is?" Derek finally asked as he glanced in Cora's direction again. The Alpha asked his uncle, his voice barely above a whisper to keep from disturbing his sister.

Peter answered in kind, "I'm still trying to figure out which of your Pack he wants to recruit to his Pack. Lydia is a distinct possibility, or Scott perhaps. Although he and you are less likely, Duc always was one who appreciated the rare and unique. Honestly you and your Beta's really…aren't his type."

Derek's eyes flickered at his words an image of Stiles came to mind, he suppressed it though because he was quite sure the Alpha Pack were unaware of the Spark's abilities. Then something else occurred to the Pack Leader, "The spell that you used to bring yourself back from the dead, just how rare is it?" Then before his uncle he added, "As in after all this could he really be after the wolf that rose from the dead?"

His uncle snorted in amusement but did seem to be pondering the possibility as he studied his niece from across the room probably trying to determine if her breathing had changed since she had fallen asleep. "That might be a possibility but Duc and I used to be friends. I think he knows me well enough to know that if he and I were in a Pack together for any length of time…it wouldn't end well for either one of us."

"That's suitably vague," the young Alpha said tilting his head at his uncle, clearly expecting some sort of clarification.

"With all due respect nephew there's nothing vague about it at all," Peter said and there was a hint of his usual sarcasm in his tone. "It means exactly what it sounds like. To become a member of his Pack I would have to be the Alpha, to do that this entire Pack including Lydia, Scott and Stiles would have to be dead.

If I were in his Pack, with all of the other Alpha's, it wouldn't last long. I would want to be the ultimate Alpha therefore either Decaulion would be dead or I would."

"You emphasized Scott, Stiles and Lydia, why?" Derek asked even though he suspected the answer already.

His suspicions were confirmed when his uncle rolled his eyes at him and said almost in his normal tone, "You and Cora are family, you always will be Pack. I made Scott, he may not like but he's mine, my Pack, my Beta. I tried to make Lydia my Beta as well. The girl is a genius, who wouldn't want her as a Beta. Stiles is brilliant, at least on a level with Lydia but in a different way. He's a strategist, I haven't anyone to compare him to except my sister. Your mother was brilliant as well but I think Stiles could have run circles around her. He's also brave and loyal."

He observed his nephew before he added in a sly tone, "I offered him the bite you know?" At Derek's sharp look the Zombie wolf raised his arms in mock surrender as he added, "He turned me down, as I said, he's loyal to a fault. Perhaps it's him Decaulion wants although his taste has always run to born wolves, not turned ones before." He added thoughtfully, He is getting older though perhaps his tastes are changing?"

Their conversation ended abruptly, when Cora sat straight up in bed and leaned over vomiting copious amounts of black goo onto the floor beside the bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N~ So how is everyone enjoying the No Relation story. Kind of short and sweet cause I'm still recovering from a bad bout of the flu. Not to mention my computer screen somehow ended up shattered while I was out of the house one day. Still not really sure how that happened. Any comments or reviews, let me know. ~A**

 **Chapter 9**

Derek and Peter watch as Cora once again throws up the vile black goo. Derek would like nothing better than to take his sister to the hospital but as Peter reminds him. "The humans have no idea she's a werewolf. They have no idea about the illness or it's cause," and frankly that's alarming to the older werewolf because neither does he. He is supposed to be one of the wise ones of his Pack and yet has no idea what is making Cora sick.

"Also I don't know if you've been paying attention but according to the news, the hospital is being overrun right now, with random cases of people falling ill. Auto accidents with drivers disappearing, including doctors, teachers, students. Even the humans are getting panicked and whoever it is they are making it subtle enough that no one is really sure what's going on, including me, but they're sure that something is going on, that's for sure."

"I don't care about anyone else right now, only Cora and what's going on with her. Do you have any idea what is going on with her?" Derek asked once they were out of the youngest Hale's earshot.

"Mountain ash and wolves bane. Although I'll be honest I've never seen this particularly virulent strain before." Peter said thoughtfully, as he studied his nephew. "You seem distracted, is something bothering you?"

"Shouldn't McKenza and Stiles have been back by now?" Derek asked absently, checking the time for the fourth time in the past ¾ of an hour. His uncle did look at his watch and then did a double take as he realized the time.

"They should have been back hours ago. Even if they did get caught up in training I don't think the pup is up to this level of training without falling flat on his face." The older werewolf said dismissively of the Spark.

The Alpha didn't even bother to look at his uncle as he moved back to his sisters side and took her hand again to begin pull pain from the younger Hale once again. "I think he's going to surprise you, Peter."

"He might indeed." His uncle said with a look of cunning in his eyes as he studied the young distracted Alpha.

Red eyes glowed as the Alpha replied through gritted teeth, "It wouldn't be the first time."

"I hadn't realized you even knew who our young friend was?" Peter said with a slightly suspicious tone to his voice.

"I'm aware of him. I've been aware of him for a while," Derek said with a hiss as Cora's pain became too much for him and he had to let go.

 **~O~**

Although they did practice as they had told Derek they would, Stiles was ever vigilant for the backlash of magic that would tell him that one of the Alpha Pack was trying to get into their warehouse practice space to do them harm. He had set the wards himself to give them that warning. Of course the pain and actual magical backlash would be hitting whichever of the Alpha Pack was trespassing.

The pair had talked and had agreed that apparently the Alpha's who had come after them had decided that Kenzi was Allison. A fact Kenzi thought was hilarious because other than both having dark hair, she and the huntress had absolutely nothing in common.

Kenzi was a werewolf, an admittedly disguised one but it wasn't like she was using the potion anymore to disguise her scent. Her hair was longer, darker and straight. Her eyes were grey not dark like the huntresses. The huntress was a good bit taller than Kenzi as well, and as Stiles oh so delicately put it. "A little more traditional in her garb than you."

"Not very good trackers for werewolves are they?" Stiles asked teasingly. Kenzi actually managed a weak burst of giggles at the comment. When she noticed the Spark suddenly become distracted. "We have company but not an Alpha and not anyone that I know." the amber eyed Spark explained affectionately.

Kenzi started to answer when a tall, slender man dressed in biker gear stepped out of the shadows of the entrance to the warehouse. Instincts and magical intuition told Stiles that the person at the entrance was a strange werewolf and an Omega. Neither of which were to be trusted. This he had learned from both Derek and Kenzi and even Peter had told him something similar. Raising a hand he formed a fireball instantly and sent it flying towards the entrance to the warehouse.

"Stiles, wait!" Kenzi said a split second after the fireball had already left his hand. Even with werewolf speed there was no way for Dyson to get out of the way of the oncoming magical attack. Dyson braced himself and then watched as the fireball slowed and then froze in mid-air.

He and Kenzi both stared at the now perspiring young man as he seemed to slowly pull the magical weapon back towards himself. In all of his centuries Dyson had never heard of anyone, fae, Spark or other who had ever been able to stop a magical attack mid-strike like that. He watched in stunned surprise as this young man continued to do so.

The fireball finally seemed to fizzle out, followed closely by Stiles. Who promptly flopped down on a nearby stack of pallets and offered weakly, "Well, I'm done."

"Thanks Stiles," Kenzi said as she petted his shoulder reassuringly.

"I take it you know this guy," Stiles asked a little weakly, as the other man came walking toward them slowly. Perhaps a little frightened that Stiles would be tempted to try again. Little did he know that the way Stiles felt right now was more like a balloon with all the air let out of it

"So who is he?" Stiles asked.

"He's my wolf," Kenzi said affectionately.

"Really," Stiles said teasingly, "and does your brother know about this wolf of yours?"

Before she could answer though there was a voice from the door. "What wolf would that be?" a voice said on a deep growl as Derek walked into the warehouse. He made his way toward Stiles, who was looking even mire pale than usual. "And why exactly does Stiles look even more like death warmed over than our little sister?"

There was an audible gulp from the redheaded werewolf followed by a whispered, "Alpha Hale?"

Alpha red eyes concluded their study of the Spark before turning the full brunt of the Alpha gaze onto Dyson and responded, "Yes?"

"Dyson Thornwood, meet my big brother Derek." Kenzi said cheekily.

 **~O~**

Bo continues to hone her detective skills on the mystery that was Beacon Hills. She decides that is the more interesting location because apparently Sunnydale has been or is being erased. All of the listings that once were, are no longer reachable. People who once claimed to live there or were once in the phone book for the small town have moved out, moved on and no longer wish to be associated with said town.

Worse yet, were the lawyers. For some reason several of the inquiries she was making led directly back to a law firm, called Wolfram and Hart located in Los Angeles. Lawyers were the worst fae alive, at least in Bo's opinion. Even though Trick kept denying that they actually were a subspecies of fae, Bo didn't actually believe her grandfather in this matter. When three of her inquiries about the small town ended up going straight to the same law firm, her mind was made up. Lawyers were definitely a dark fae conspiracy.

Google Maps even has this odd blanked out area around where the town had once been. Similar in fact to the Area 51, which really freaked the succubus out a bit. So yeah definitely the Beacon Hills area, was the safer choice. She's really rather not find herself being kidnapped in the middle of the night. A black bag shoved over her head, and wake up inside some gray room somewhere with blank walls and some odd little man named Smith interrogating her.

So then the succubus went to her next available source of information about odd and mysterious fae locations and information, namely Trick.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10**

"Alpha Hale. Big Brother, You're a wolf/!" the redhead strangled incredulously, as his head snapped back and forth between the two Hale siblings.

"Oh yeah, I think you broke your wolf Kenzi," Stiles said with weak amusement.

"Thanks a lot, Stiles." Kenzi muttered under her breath, as she replied to the fae werewolf. "Way to use those deductive reasoning skills D-man. Yes, I'm a werewolf. Anything else, you want to know?"

"I'd like to know who this is actually McKenza." Derek said in that big brother trying to be the macho badass in front of little sisters potential new boyfriend for intimidation purposes, kind of way.

"Not now, Derek" Kenzi said in an aggravated tone as she stared at the other werewolf in the warehouse. Dyson was being entirely too still, right now.

"Yes now, McKenza considering we have the Alpha Pack in our territory, our sister is suffering from a form of wolves bane that even Peter doesn't recognize and humans are getting sick, disappearing and dying at an alarming rate all around this town. On top of all that we now have this strange wolf, an Omega no less. Coming into our territory apparently following my sister home from wherever she's been…"

A hand came to rest on the taller man's shoulder as Stiles said soothingly, "Chill. Be calm Derek. Red eyes are totally cool on you but considering we already had a run in tonight with several of them, not really a good time. I will see if I can do something about Cora once you take me over there. As for Kenzi and her wolf, isn't it obvious? He followed her home and the next words out of her mouth are probably going to be, "Can we keep him?"

Before Kenzi could confirm or deny this suggestion, the Spark continued, "To which the appropriate Alpha response would be, "He'll be your responsibility. You have to feed him, and water him, and train him. The responsibility of raising and training a werewolf is a very serious matter and you should think long and hard about what it is your taking on young lady."

All three of the werewolves stared at the Spark for a few minutes. "Yeah, so apparently when you really get your strength zapped by doing something totally stupid like stop a magical attack by sheer will. It saps the energy but the magic still has to do something with itself like make you think of crazy, random out of the box things. Like I don't think the Alpha's have anything to do with any of the missing people or dying people or even the poisoning. I think that's something or someone else entirely who is maybe either trying to draw attention to the Alphas or frame them for it. So who besides every single wolf pack they've ever encountered would have a grudge?"

"Why do you think it would be someone other than another wolf pack?" asked Dyson curiously of the Spark who was babbling but also making incredibly a lot of sense.

"Let's face it," Stiles said as though they were having a perfectly normal conversation, "Other than the members who end up joining their little menagerie, do they really leave anyone else alive?"

While all three werewolves were mulling over that train of thought the Spark added, "And by the way I think I may have figured out how to save Cora." Stiles said just before his eyes rolled back in his head and Derek barely kept him from sliding to the ground in a dead faint.

 **~O~**

"I did not faint," Stiles argued with Kenzi as Derek carried him into the Stilinski household and put him on the couch. The she-wolf did not argue the point instead heading to the kitchen to get a bottled water out of the fridge. "I passed out."

"And what is the difference exactly?" Kenzi asked the Spark as she handed him the water.

"It sounds more manly," Stiles said quickly before downing half of the bottle in one continuous gulp. The Hale siblings gave each other matching expressions of exasperated affection.

Meanwhile Dyson who had followed the trio on his motorcycle was doing what he did best, investigating. He noticed but didn't tamper with the files on the dining room table with the official looking seal on the front of the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department. He noticed and studied for several minutes the family photos. Mother but only up to a certain age for the boy. Father in uniform. Boy grown into young man sadder eyes after mother no longer appeared in photos. Another young man appeared in several of the photos olive-skinned, dark eyes the two with arms around each other in many of the photos. More recent photos with a larger group of teens and young adults. The Pack he imagined.

Then he looked again at the mother, and something in the eyes caught his attention. He studied her familiar looking face before it kicked in. What he was seeing, who he was seeing. He turned to study the by now sitting a little more upright on the couch, face a little less pale. Human fae hybrids were not supposed to be possible. Yes a human and a fae could have children but to his knowledge the offspring weren't supposed to be able to carry any fae traits or abilities.

Yet sitting on the rather ugly couch in this mundane human living room was just that. A human Spark with fae blood. More importantly he had a feeling that the woman in the photos was a missing fae who was long thought assassinated by the Morrigan. Evony who was thought to have assassinated her sister Claudia to gain the position of the Morrigan, leader of the dark fae.

Derek caught the other werewolf staring at Stiles. It wasn't a predatory look, it was a calculating gaze though and the Alpha felt the need to remind the Omega whose territory he was in, and just who this human belonged to. It was bad enough the other was after his sister, he couldn't have Stiles too. At least not without a fight.

The low level growl left Dyson catching a whine in his throat and had him feeling the need to expose his throat. His eyes snapped over to Alpha Hale who was glaring at him with glowing red eyes. His face shifted even as Dyson stared at him. Dyson lowered his eyes swiftly, but not before he saw Kenzi shaking her head with a rueful expression on her face.

"You've been alone way to long D-man. You've forgotten all about Pack protocols and hierarchy. You're not in this Pack, you don't look at any of its members without permission. What are you doing here anyway?" asked the Goth, tilting her head slightly to study the other werewolf. "If Bo sent you after me, I told her I needed some personal time."

"No, Bo didn't send me. Matter of fact she doesn't even know I'm here. No one does really. I gave them the same excuse you did. Taking some personal time." Dyson said vaguely keeping his eyes lowered.

"Okay," the young woman said drawing out the syllables, "Still doesn't explain why you're here."

Dyson looked up and met Kenzi's eyes seriously and then flinched as he glanced in Derek's direction. "It's a personal matter, that I'd like to discuss with you personally." His eyes pleaded with the younger woman to understand and cooperate.

"Fine!" Kenzi finally said, "Let's step outside shall we?" She turned to glare at her brother, who glared right back. "No listening in. Stiles would you mind making sure he doesn't?"

Stiles picked a magazine up off the coffee table and began rolling it up before smacking one end in his other hand experimentally, "Sure no problem." he responded cheekily.

"You wouldn't dare," Derek growled, flashing his Alpha eyes at the human.

Stiles only grinned at the werewolf and said, "Yep I would, I might even add a little Spark to it." he added, "So behave."

"Stiles?" the Alpha whined his face melting back to his more human appearance, as he gave the Spark a wounded expression. Feeling a little bad about scolding the Alpha for just being an Alpha. Stiles stepped forward and patted the Alpha on his bearded cheek.

"She's your sister first Derek," he said seriously, "She deserves a little privacy, but you can still keep an ear out for the Alpha's just in case." He said to ease the wolves mind, "But only the Alpha's." As he walked past the older man into the kitchen to make himself something to eat he was starving.

 **~O~**

"You three continue to disappoint me," Decaulion said mildly as he studied the three werewolves in front of him. "I don't need to explain how unwise that is do I?"

"The boy had power, how were we supposed to know he had power?" Kali said defensively. "And the girl fought us, and fought well."

Decaulion glared at them and then rolled his eyes as he said, "Of course she fought well, she's an Argent. Another reason I wanted her. She fought well because she's been taught to fight and kill our kind since before she could walk."

"As for Stiles are you sure he has power or was it just that the girl and Derek have been training him on how to fight our kind and you were just too weak to fight off two humans." the Alpha asked.

"There was the other werewolf too." Aiden cried defensively.

"Yes the mysterious other werewolf," Decaulion said with silky suspicion, "Who is he?"

"We don't know," Kali admitted a little worriedly as evidenced by the tapping of one of her toe claws on the cement floor agitatedly. "He's not one of theirs he doesn't even smell like them. I think he might have been an Omega."

"You. Three Alpha werewolves had our asses handed to you by two humans and an Omega?" he asked incredulously. Before they could answer his cane snapped out across all three of their faces, to mark them. He really ahted it when strangers interfered with his plans. "Find out who he is." When they still stood around, stinging from his rebuke, he roared, "Now!"

He heard them scramble for the door, as he muttered despondently, "It's so hard to get good help these days."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11**

Kenzi preceded the werewolf detective out the front door. Once she reached the far side of the front porch out of sight of the front window she turned to face him. "Ok why are you here Dyson?" she asked baldly. The Goth expected a great many things but not the question she got.

"How well do you know this Stiles?" Dyson asked and for a second the she wolf didn't know how to respond. Then the anger came and she knew exactly how to respond.

"Fuck you, wolf man." and tried to walk around him to go back into the house.

"Hey I thought you were Team Dyson," he said catching her by the shoulders and pushing her back in front of him.

"I was." Kenzi admitted, "Until my friend started acting like a total douche bagging idiot." She tried getting around him again until he held her in place again.

The werewolf female then said with a soft hiss, "Who he is, how well I know him and anything else is not really any of your business, detective. Even if it was, he's a little out of your jurisdiction. Hell, you're a little out of your jurisdiction, aren't you, Dyson? And I'll ask again, why are you here?"

Dyson suddenly acted like he's been burned as he stepped back and gave the younger woman a wounded look but said nothing. The Goth merely hummed and said, "Yeah that's what I thought," as she walked around him again and this time made it to the door before he spoke.

His voice so quiet, she nearly missed it. Still to her it sounded nothing more than a mumble and she asked, "What did you say"

"I said I asked the Ashe for time off," Dyson repeated as he turned to face her looking a bit sheepish.

"Ok," she said drawing the word out again, "And?"

"He asked me why I needed the time off," Dyson tried to explain.

Kenzi's muttered, "Clear as mud," told him he hadn't succeeded at all. "And why did you need the time off," she asked playing along although it was clear she was getting frustrated with this twenty questions method of gaining information from the other werewolf.

"I told him it was time for me to find my mate," the werewolf explained and she noticed a slight hint of brogue was entering the others voice as he spoke. A flash of pain crossed her face but she composed herself and her eyes scrunched in confusion as she considered.

"And you're here because?" she said a little waspishly. Dyson though he had completely missed the fact that Kenzi was a werewolf, Did pick up on the hints of pain, jealousy, and desire.

"Why do you think I'm here?" Dyson asked.

"I don't know," Kenzi exploded, her energy diverted immediately to pacing the length of the porch.. Her frustration getting the better of her as she raised her voice to say, "Maybe to ask me to yours and Bo's wedding, hand fasting, or whatever. Or maybe to get my help to ask her. Or maybe you're here to ask me to make sure she and Lauren are quits before you actually ask her. How should I know Dyson?"

His hands were on her shoulders again, pulling her around to face him. "Maybe you should know because you're my best friend, and have been even when we fought. Maybe you should know when you've known what I felt even when I couldn't feel anything. Maybe you should know because you're the smartest person I know, outside of Trick and you may even have him beat."

When she would have looked away he lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Maybe you should know because I told the Ashe I was seeking my Mate and I came here, after you McKenza Hale. Even when I didn't know you were a werewolf too." He lowered his head and gently touched their lips together.

A gentle introduction that soon deepened into a more intimate kiss. A meeting of tongues, of flavors, of souls as each of them felt their hearts flutter, then pound. Their scents mingled, as he pulled her closer, flush with his own body.

 **~O~**

The smack of a magazine across his scowling face broke the Alpha's concentration and oddly enough had him sneeze at the same time. Derek stared at the Spark with a wounded expression. Stiles only shook the rolled up magazine at the werewolf before he reminded him, "I warned you. No listening in. Next time I will actually add a bit of Spark to it." He indicated the stool that the Alpha had stood up from to lean toward the front door as he concentrated, and said in a commanding voice, "Sit." The older man sat obediently.

"I'm fixing dinner you are all three staying and you will not interfere or comment on whatever is happening on the front porch right now. Do I make myself clear?"

"Do you know what's going on out there?" Derek questioned the younger man.

"No but I can guess, that Dyson fellow is clearly mopey over your sister and I could tell she was running away from something when I first met her, so yeah I can guess. She's a grown up Derek time to start treating her like one." the Spark said as he began moving around the kitchen pulling ingredients out for a large dinner.

"But we don't know anything about him," Derek said in a complaining tone.

"I didn't know anything about you before a couple of years ago. I know he followed her here, when I know she didn't actually invite him so apparently he figured out on his own where she was or tracked her here by werewolf senses. Either way its gotta mean something for a werewolf to do that, right?" the teen asked without bothering to look back at the Alpha.

"I don't know, according to what they were talking about it's been going on for a while. Them getting to know each other I mean only he's just getting around to admitting it," Derek explained.

He heard Stiles slam something down and looked up to see the teen glaring at him and Derek said, "Not listening now," he said hands raised defensively, "Heard it before you stopped me." The Spark only looked slightly mollified as he went back to preparing dinner.

They both heard buzzing and Derek picked up Stiles phone and brought it over to him. They both saw the call was from Stiles dad and seeing how the Spark's hands were a little occupied, Derek answered the phone and put it on speaker for the teen. Stiles mouthed, "Thanks" to the Alpha then said, "Hey dad, what's up?"

"Are you at home" the Sheriff asked a little desperately.

"Yeah I'm fixing dinner," even through the phone they could hear his sigh of relief, "Dad what's up?" There was muffled noises and Stiles imagined his father had the phone receiver covered with his hand as he spoke to someone on the other end. "Dad?" Stiles called clearly becoming concerned.

"I want to tell Parrish what's going on," his father said coming back on the line. Stiles froze mid-motion looking over his shoulder at Derek. The Alpha merely nodded other than Stiles, the Sheriff had to be the only other human he trusted as much in the entire town, including Deaton.

Stiles looked at what he was doing and calculating quickly said, "Bring him home dad. I'm making dinner so no take out. He then glanced up at the clock and added, "If I put my line crew to work helping me, we should be ready in about forty-five minutes."

"Line crew?" the Sheriff asked.

"Yeah we're having quite a bit of company for dinner. Might as well work for their supper right. Don't be late I don't want my noodles to turn to mush." The Spark pressed the end call button with his pinkie.

Stiles then set his knife down and turned to find the Alpha in his personal space. Before he could say anything, Derek asked, "How did you know?"

"Huh?" Stiles asked eloquently. Not wanting to admit the proximity of the older man was doing things to his state of brain function.

"How did you know, he followed her here?" Derek asked noticing the heightened color in the usually pale humans face.

"Oh that, she was surprised, totally surprised to see him. You didn't notice?"

Stiles asked.

"I was occupied with other things." Derek said studying Stiles face.

"Oh yeah, Cora," Stiles said doing a sort of limited face/palm as Derek was sort of in his way. Squeezing along the counter he reached into a cabinet and pulled out an empty spicy jar, small, angular glass with a brown plastic lid. Inside was a milky liquid, when he clicked it on the counter beside Derek a spark flew. "Don't tip it too much it's not waterproof and just to be on the safe side she needs to take the whole thing."

He moved back into place to stir and was surprised when Derek turned him back around to give him a full on hug. "Thank you."

Stiles patted him a little awkwardly on the back when what he really wanted to do was climb the man like a tree. "Bad Stiles," he thought, "He doesn't think of you that way, wish he did but he doesn't."

"Ok, so I'm about to really make you happy." Derek's eyes looked hopeful and warm. "Go break up the happy couple and get the rest of my line crew in here."

Stiles was already turning away to stir the sauce before it scorched, so he didn't see the look of disappointment that crossed the Alpha's face. He did notice the slight growl though as he headed for the door.

Nor did he miss the mutter of, "My pleasure." Stiles giggled as he whispered under his breath, "Sorry Kenzi but you gotta give a dog a bone sometimes."

 **~O~**

The Sheriff guided his deputy into his own patrol car, he too was horrified by the scene they had come across. The three kids, two girls and a boy, none of the over sixteen all of them killed in such a gruesome way. The youngest was only thirteen. Jordan was trying to put on a brave face and he had been in combat so he had seen things, but nothing really prepared you for something like this.

It had made up John's mind for him. He had been on the fence about telling his newest deputy about what was really going on in this town. Something apparently at least if Stiles and the Hales were to be believed had been going on for a while. He looked over at the young man in the seat next to him and had the thought that he hoped Stiles hadn't made too much he had a feeling his young deputy wasn't gong to be eating too much for a while.

Then he pulled up in the driveway and knew he didn't really have to worry about the food. Besides his son's Jeep there was a black Camaro, and two motorcycles. He wondered who the one belonged to, thinking the other might be Scott's.

He had heard the younger McCall had gotten one for the summer from money he had made at the vet clinic. He hadn't seen it yet, come to think of it he hadn't seen Scott in a while. Which was very different from almost nightly visits when his mom was working the evening or night shifts at the hospital.

Then he opened the door to organized chaos. Music was blaring, though not as loud as Stiles had been know to do. At least the windows weren't literally rattling in their frames this time. Kenzi Hale was cleaning off the dining room table and setting the stacks of files and paperwork in neat little piles on the sideboard nearby. A tall, slender man with reddish hair was setting the table. Then he seemed to count and called, "Hey Stiles, we need two more chairs."

"One's in the entry and one's upstairs in my room, first door on the left.. Sorry right." his son shouted from the kitchen. Then he heard something he had never heard before a deep throaty chuckle from his kitchen.

Parrish followed him toward the kitchen curiously. As they heard his son apparently respond to the chuckle. "What, I'm more used to people asking me where the bathroom is than where the chairs are. We don't really entertain a lot."

John felt a pang of guilt. His son was right, other than Scott and occasionally Melissa they really hadn't had any company since his wife Claudia had died. Then he heard Kenzi say, "Don't worry I'm pretty sure that's about to change. Oh hi Sheriff."

John watched as Derek looked up from where he was chopping up vegetables presumably for a salad. His son looked around the fridge at him and then back at the clock on the wall and said with a raised eyebrow, "You're early, and he's grey." He said looking past him at his rather pasty faced deputy. Followed on by the buzzer going off on the oven.

"Everyone's an adult here, guns on the hook. Kenzi would you mind getting the bread out and sprinkling it with the cheese. Dyson man take care of the chairs, they don't bite." Stiles said as if directing an army. "So are you off duty or just on lunch"

"Lunch," the Sheriff said and Stiles whistled.

"That bad, huh? So Parrish are you a coffee or soda man?" the teen asked as Derek walked into the dining room and put the salad on the table.

"Either, but water is fine." The deputy said as he looked around at the crowded kitchen and dining room, a little wistfully if he was honest.

"No, no, no and hell no. Bad night, bad case, clearly or you wouldn't look like death warmed over. Still on duty, so sugar and caffeine and lots of it. So I'll ask again, soda or coffee." the teen directed as he drained the noodles.

"Coffee, but if you'll just tell me where…" the deputy offered.

Stiles said bossily, "Nope, no room. Give your order to your gorgeous and talented barista," Kenzi primped, "Derek. He'll fill your order while you and dad go get washed up for dinner. Kenzi bread on the table please. Dy, good timing with the chairs, mind shredding some more Parmesan, while I get the noodles and sauce on the table."

As the Sheriff guided the deputy up the stairs, Jordan said, "Your son's a little bossy, isn't he?"

The Sheriff heard Stiles say, "Derek, dad likes his coffee with two sugars and cream, Kenzi would you mind taking this out to Derek's car. Put it in the cup holder upright." Stiles said as he handed her the small bottle of medicine for Cora, "Dyson we have three rules in this house."

His son finished as his father went out of his human ear shot. "No alcohol while on duty, no shop talk until after dinner, and no freaking out the guest until dad says its cool to do so. Oh yeah and make sure he can't get to his gun when you do it."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N~ Ok first off, another fandom is more than mentioned in this chapter. Secondly no this is not going to become a crossover. I may consider writing a sequel where it becomes a three-way crossover, although I still haven't figured out how or even if that's possible. But that will be way down the road as I'm trying to finish up the stories I'm working on now. After which I will give myself a little break from writing for a bit. Don't worry this particular story still has a few chapters to go before I finish it. Read, enjoy, and review. ~A**

 **A/N/N~ Also please be aware due to HIPPA most medical professionals do not discuss their patients with anyone, family or lovers included. Assuming the situation would be the same for the fae. Therefore the scene in the last act would honestly not take place but this is a work of fan fiction so for the purpose of my story, it did. ~A**

 **Chapter 12**

Bo was trying really hard not to miss Dyson or her best friend Kenzi but the fact that both of them had disappeared at the same time was truly messing with her zen. She was used to either having Dyson as a sex partner with benefits or at least as a friend. Now he was off finding his "mate" and it wasn't her. Yeah, ok that stung more than a little.

Kenzi was her shoulder though, her rock. Whenever something like this happened, Kenzi was the one she went to for comfort, crying on her shoulder or having a Ben and Jerry's fest. Or even just a night out on the town, at the Dahl Riata or if they were feeling really adventurous at the Carpe Noct.

She had tried to find out from her grandfather what was so special about Beacon Hills and to a lesser degree Sunnydale, the mere mention of either had a profound effect on Trick's coloring. The mention of Beacon Hills had the fae go pale, the mention of Sunnydale and his skin tone took on a slightly greenish hue. Despite Kenzi's now very rare leprechaun jokes, green really wasn't the Blood Kings color.

After some liquid fortification, namely an entire bottle of his very best top shelf Irish whiskey and the start of another bottle, her grandfather took her to his apartment/office under the Dahl and began. "First off we do not talk about Sunnydale, not ever, not anymore."

"Second thing you need to know is that there are portals of energy that fae and to a lesser degree humans can feel. Some are good, these are called Nexus, when they are harnessed, groomed and protected can give energy to the fae and when properly protected can be a beacon of hope for those all around."

"Beacon Hills." cried Bo excitedly.

"Yes, the thing is for every Nexus of power there is a Vortex, almost like a mated pair. They're usually not too far from each other and naturally balance each other because the vortex takes the positive energy that the Nexus puts out and uses it to keep a magical cap on the negative energy it tries to keep in, with the help of fae keepers. Several centuries ago now, a powerful dark fae Mage wanted to harness the power of the Vortex. So he used an army of Hunters and fae followers and made the attempt, just one problem though, the dark Mage overestimated his power and underestimated the power of the two entities he was dealing with."

"It was quite the clever plan, which is why many thought this particular Mage was believed to not have been the one behind it. He was merely the puppet and the Morrigan was the one pulling the strings. The Nexus or Nemeton as this one was called was chopped down by some of his Hunter followers, they also tried to kill the Keepers." Trick said as he downed another glass of the whiskey in one go.

"The Nemeton and the Keepers had a strong connection though so even as it was being dealt a near fatal blow it warned it's Keepers of the impending danger and they escaped and then returned to seal the wound to the Nemeton before it could truly die."

"The Vortex though felt what it perceived as the loss of its match and tried to call it's Keepers for help but the Dark Mage's minions had already killed them. When the Mage began using the spell to draw the power of the Hellmoouth, the Nemeton tried to help it's partner even as badly wounded as it was. Between the two they killed the mage and his minions but the damage was done."

The Blood King had always been a great storyteller it was an element of his fae power. He was naturally gifted in this respect and it showed, as he continued his tale, "The Hellmouth bore a scar, a never healing scar that leaked its dark energy so that it too drew fae to it like a magnet. Dark fae usually, or underfae who were too weak to resist it's call. Those fae who would then became stronger from the leakage. Then a few decades ago another dark fae, a vampire calling himself the Master went to the Hellmouth to try finishing what the Mage had started. Only this time the Nemeton was not dying but was slowly beginning to heal. It slapped a barrier between the Hellmouth and the Master and between the Master and the outside world."

"Trapping the old vampire for all eternity, or until the old bloodsucker found a way out. Finally the fae council figured the Hellmouth needed some new Keepers so it sent a special type of Hunter to watch over the Hellmouth and she collected a group of her own to help. It didn't stop the Master or others from continuing to try and harness the Hellmouth."

"Each attempt damaged the Hellmouth more and made it more unstable. Until the decision was made to close it forever, a sacrifice had to be made though and a fae named William offered himself because he loved the Hunter." Another drink fortified the elder fae or simply loosened his tongue just that much more. "Closing a Hellmouth or sealing it is no simple thing. In this case it was positively cataclysmic. Sunnydale became nothing less than a barren wasteland. After that the Hunter disappeared from history. No one knows what happened to her but one of her company returned to the Hellmouth and is now its Keeper."

"The Hale Pack are the Keepers or were the Keepers of the Nemeton."

"Were?" Bo asked her voice somewhat jarring in the quiet reverence her grandfather had created with his story.

"A few years ago a twisted Hunter killed most if not all of the Pack in a house fire, as they were gathered there to celebrate the Wolf Moon. It is still unclear how many of the Hale Pack were killed or what has happened as the fae councils believe without the Hellmouth, the Nemeton is a "non-issue"… bunch of self-righteous, self-important, deluded idiots. Wouldn't be surprised if they were behind the Alpha Pack too." At his granddaughters curious look the Blood King shook his head and raised his hands.

"Another story for another time. Right now story time is over. I have a pub to run young lady." Wit that pronouncement the Way Station keeper chased the young woman out of his apartment before shutting and locking the door behind him.

 **~O~**

Although Stiles had declared it a rule he began asking his father about the case almost before the salad course was over. Kenzi was surprised not because of Stiles asking about the case but because they actually did courses for dinner although the table was set up like a normal family dinner.

When Stiles dad started looking a little irritated with his son, the vibrating bundle of curiosity, Kenzi decided to intervene. By sating her own curiosity about the dinner arrangement. "Sheriff, I'm a little curious most family meals are pass the potatoes, hold the cabbage, you actually do a formal dinner arrangement in a kind of family style setting. I guess my question is, why"

John Stilinski smiled a little nostalgically as he answered her, while Stiles just looked a little sad. "My wife Claudia, she passed away quite some time ago now, but she had a theory. Her theory was that the breakdown of society could be directly linked to the shift of focus for society from the dinner table or kitchen to the television."

"She said that the focus of family should be on each other. Interacting at the dinner table, communicating, the connection you get during a well prepared meal, helps keep a family together. Serving the meal in courses like this, makes it last longer, while having all or most of the meal on the table, saves the Mom," here his voice hitched slightly, "meant Mom could be a part of the conversation and not be going back and forth to the kitchen all the time."

"Your wife sounds like she was a brilliant and insightful woman. My condolences on such a loss." Dyson said with more than a hint of formality in his voice.

The sheriff nodded his head while Stiles said, his eyes hooded, "She was brilliant. She was a double major in sociology and psychology from Berkley." The teen pushed his food around for a few minutes before adding, "She and dad met there. Dad was taking psychology as a part of his Criminology Major."

Kenzi sort of regretted her question in a small way because it had cast a pall on the meal. She was also kind of glad though because the conversation was giving her great insights into the Stilinski family and Stiles in particular. Stiles could talk a mile a minute on just about any subject you could bring up but rarely discussed anything at all personal.

Then she noticed the deputy who had a very odd expression on his face. It wasn't the food despite the Sheriffs suggestion that the young man might not eat much because of the case they were working, he seemed to have a healthy appetite. No this was more as if he had lost something and hadn't realized it till just now. Kenzi as a sometimes thief and grifter had learned early on how to read people. It was a useful and valuable skill for someone who relied on getting away before anyone figured out what she was really up too and either tried to get her put in jail or kill her themselves.

The deputy was a lost soul. Right then the Goth werewolf decided the Pack needed another lost soul in their midst. The petite female felt a shiver down her spine as though someone had stroked the fur of her inner werewolf approvingly.

By some unspoken signal almost as soon as dinner was over the Spark with help from Derek clears the table and began to talk about their case and the Detective and fae parts in Dyson are intrigued and a bit horrified, He asked very telling and pointed questions, which prompted the Sheriff to ask directly. "You're not a reporter are you?"

"No sir, I'm a detective, far out of my jurisdiction. Not trying to step on any toes here, this just reminds me of something I've come across. Not recently or anything, before I met you," he explained to Kenzi. When she continued to look a little curious, he added, " _Long_ before."

"Can't be that long, you don't look that old," the Sheriff complimented.

Stiles responded bluntly, "He's a werewolf dad. They have a tendency to age well, very well." He was watching Parrish as he spoke figuring the deputy might as well get all of his shocks in one day, to get it out of his system.

The deputy snorted with laughter, it wasn't exactly unattractive but those sitting at the table got the impression that he was rusty at laughing. The voice was wrong and the actual laugh was a bit forced. When no one else laughed Deputy Jordan Parrish looked up from his well-prepared meal and said, "That was a joke, right?"

When no one answered he got a little worried and when Stiles shoved his own plate back and put his elbows on the table and looked at the deputy speculatively. The older man admitted to being downright nervous, "No." Stiles said simply, "Not kidding."

The older man who sat beside Stiles at the table, Derek if he remembered correctly put his hand companionably on the younger mans shoulder. Their eyes met and Stiles nodded at the other man who then looked up at Parrish, when their eyes met and held, Parrish felt caught like a deer in the headlights.

When Derek's face melted into another shape and his eyes shifted from bright green to gleaming red. Jordan's feeling shifted. Oh he was still the deer alright, but this, this wasn't an oncoming car this was something even more deadly. This was an Apex predator and Jordan was its prey.

Then the young woman sitting beside him also shifted and her eyes were an amber color that glowed a kind of bright gold in the subdued lighting of the dining room. Then the guy at the end of the table down from the Sheriff, Dyson his face seemed to stay pretty much the same except his eyes also glowed gold and he smiled reassuringly.

Well, what Jordan hoped was supposed to be reassuring, the deputy didn't feel all that reassured though. When he smiled, there were a lot more teeth than there were supposed to be and they were a lot sharper than they should have been. For a split second he had the distinct feeling that the meal they'd just had was merely the appetizer and he was meant to be the main course. Then Stiles started talking and things only got weirder.

"Pretty much every fairy tale, old wives tale, folklore, myth, yeah they're all true. There are things like, werewolves, the Boogey man, trolls, orcs, giants, Loch Ness monster…all of them are real. Just like humans some of them are good, some are bad and some are indifferent to humans. Others will try to eat you at the first available moment. We're telling you this in order to give you the opportunity to protect yourself and others from all things supernatural if you will?"

The funny thing was that the kid looked perfectly rational when he said it all. Even the Sheriff was giving him the fatherly look that never ceased to make the younger mans heart ache with longing for the comfort of family. Especially now that he was pretty sure that he was going nuts.

Then the red haired man said, "You tell humans about the fae here?" he asked.

The young woman Kenzi who has also moved her plate aside begins gently smacking her head against the dining room table muttering exasperatedly under her breath.

""No, we tell them about werewolves and other things that go bump in the night." the older man Derek said giving the Detective a look that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

The werewolf, and yes that was just as challenging for Jordan to even think let alone say as he thought it would be, Dyson actually blushed heatedly. While Stiles just looked at the werewolves and said blandly, "Uh…Oops?"

 **~O~**

Bo arrived at the Crack Shack and noticed a note on the kitchen table from Lauren. Apparently her lover had actually been gone for three days at the clinic and apologized for causing a panic, but her cell phone had been out and she had forgotten her charger at her apartment. She further explained that she would have gone on to the apartment but Bo lived closer so she had come here. She asked to not be woken for a while she needed the sleep.

To say the Bo-ster was feeling a little guilty for not realizing her honey hadn't actually been home in the past several days, yeah that was definitely guilt she s feeling. Bo who was still a little wound up after her talk with her grandfather. She fixed herself something to eat and was moping around the living room.

Then something her grandfather had told her in the story finally registered and she ran to Kenzi's room. It took some searching through the organized chaos that was her besties boudoir before she found what she was looking for. A scrapbook.

In the scrapbook were pictures of her and the men in their lives. A few newspaper clippings of some of their cases, both her and Kenzi's, and Dyson and Hale's. Although as a rule both pairs tried to avoid the limelight by fae council edict but the little human still tried to collect the clippings as trophies of their exploits. The succubus paged through these pages until she found what she was looking for.

Attached to one of the pages with huge folder clips was a printout of Kenzi's criminal record. Her bestie had wheedled a copy of the document from Hale. She had said something at the time "What's the use of having a cop as a buddy if I don't get some mileage out of it."

There on the second page was what Bo had been looking for. A rather lengthy list of Kenzi's aliases. About two thirds of the way down that list was the name McKenza Hale. Hale the same name as the Keepers of the Nemeton. The succubus did a little more reading, further into the report was the crime reported with the name McKenza Hale.

Shoplifting from an occult shop in the town of Beacon Hills, with the then juvenile being remanded into the custody of her mother Talia Hale. Upon the recommendation of the deputy who had made the arrest of a deputy who's last name she wasn't even going to try to pronounce.

There sitting on the dusty floor in Kenzi's madhouse of a room, Bo had an epiphany. A paradigm shift of epic proportions. Her little human, the one who kept her sane when the fae shit hit the fan, was actually a fae herself. A card carrying, werewolf being fae. A Keeper of a Nexus named the Nemeton. Then she remembered something else her grandfather told her, and it hadn't sounded good but might explain why her bestie was currently dealing with a family emergency in Beacon Hills.

Dropping the scrapbook on the dusty floor the succubus was about to grab her jacket and head out the door when she remembered Laura and her attention shifted. Lauren her girlfriend who had been at work for the past three days. The succubus headed to her own room and after stripping she climbed into bed, pulling the softly snoring human into her arms,.

Later on she planned on paying a visit to a bar owner of her acquaintance. She needed to find out what an Alpha Pack was.

 **Several hours later:** Lauren found herself being treated to a surprisingly well prepared steak not at the Dahl as she had expected but from the Carpe Noct. Bo looked around surreptitiously trying to find Vex, while Lauren explained why she had been at the light fae compound for three days straight.

"We've been playing host to one of the light fae council. He seems to think he has enough charm to become the next big thing in human politics, So anyway he was at a human political dinner. You know the kind that are a thousand dollars a plate or more." Lauren said rolling her eyes at the thought of such largesse when there were both human and fae starving on the streets of their fair city. It was one of their favorite rants for the dinner table, one of many.

"Anyway, apparently told him that the desert he was having had coffee in it," Lauren revealed in as much of a whisper as could be managed in the noisy club. Bo actually covered the lower half of her face in shock. Don't get her wrong, her opinion of both fae councils was probably not suitable for public consumption, even in the Carpe Noct and that was saying something.

Most fae knew to watch for their triggers in human society, the fact that this fae had chosen to conceal themselves even to the point of risking their health and life was just mind boggling.

Apparently the light fae had been delirious enough from the food poisoning to hallucinate on several occasions. Bo's interest was piqued enough to distract her from her Mesmer hunt when she heard the words, Alpha Pack. "What was that last bit?"

When Lauren looked at her lover a little suspiciously, Bo merely indicated the noisy club around them and moved her chair a little closer to the human doctor so she could hear her better. "I said he was talking about one of the other council members really having it in for the Hale Family for some reason because she had sent in the Alpha Pack to take care of them. That's an entire Pack of Alpha's when normally Pack's only have one and I have no idea how that would work. Apparently though this was on top of some previous event that practically eliminated the whole Pack."

"He said that apparently the oldest son had started to rebuild the Pack anew and already had quite a sizable Pack going on." Looking at the succubus the doctor asked , "How much did Dyson tell you about Pack dynamics?"

"Not much I'm afraid. Dyson's strong suit wasn't verbal communication," Bo admitted bluntly.

Lauren nodded and explained, "Usually a Pack has the Alpha, possibly his mate, and up to three Betas. This Pack has only been active for like three years I think and they already have including the Alpha 4 born wolves, 4 bitten wolves and a few humans. So that's already about twice the size of a normal Pack." Lauren explained clinically.

"Apparently they've become quite popular among the other Council members including the one I treated. That didn't sit well with whichever council member ordered the arson to kill them all, in the first place. So she sent in the Alpha Pack to initiate a Pack War and finally get rid of the rest of this Pack, fae politics are a bitch." the doctor said and this time the scientist stepped aside and the human was talking in between bites of the delicious meal.

Bo considered her nest words carefully. What she had said about Dyson was partially true he didn't like to talk about Pack things while they were in bed together but she had remembered Kenzi saying she had done research on Packs. They were territorial only one Pack for territory. Other Packs could visit but only visit or there would be a war. She wanted to make sure they were talking about the same thing. She tried for nonchalance as she asked the lady Doc, "Where is this supposed to be taking place?"

Lauren answered but suspicion and curiosity were in her eyes as she replied, "Somewhere in California, a place called Beacon something. Beacon Valley maybe?" Her phone went off just as she finished her vegetables and Lauren answered it right there. Her focus on the phone call she didn't hear the succubus whisper under her breath, "Beacon Hills. Kenzi."

She did notice that her lover had barely touched her food when she got off the phone though and asked, "Sorry, got called into work again. You want me to have them box that up and I'll take you home"

"No that's okay I'll just sit here and finish I'll catch a cab home or something." Bo kissed her but tried to feed her lover a small amount of chi. It was something that Lauren had told her she would be able to do eventually and she managed to push a little of the blue energy into the tried Doc, with the other woman perking up considerably. "Don't work too hard," she added as Lauren left for the clinic.

Bo finished the meal slowly as the crowd became a little more rowdy as the hour grew later. She would need her energy, she had a dark fae to track down, and picking the brain of a Mesmer was a challenge at the best of times.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N~ So my computer finally gave up the ghost and I'm doing what I can with a borrowed computer without a wifi connection. I lost three chapters of this story, including this one as well as about 70 pages of another story I was working on that was going to be premeiered next week. So now I'm having to do all of that over again. Please read, enjoy and review. ~A**

 **Chapter 13**

Bo went barreling through the security door, clearly expecting a fight. After all the door itself was clearly marked Employees Only in all caps, no less. When nothing happened she continued down the hall, but stayed alert. The succubus had been hoping to avoid this sort of thing, being surprisingly patient. Waiting for an appearance by the Mesmer owner of the club. Only the dark fae, had never made an appearance on the floor to schmooze with the rest of his customers.

From what she had seen and heard this was an unusual occurrence for the club owner. He usually liked to make sure that all of his customers were happy to insure repeat business. Bo wondered if his lack of appearance was to avoid her for a split second . Truthfully under different circumstances she would have avoided the mind scrambler like the proverbial plague but right at the moment, she needed information he might have.

The bouncer lunging around the corner at her wasn't entirely unexpected, she had actually expected him to show up much earlier. The ease with which she avoided his lunge and put him into the wall with his arm twisted behind him had her doubting his level of skill for security. "Where's Vex?"

When the dark fae's only response was a grunt, she gave his arm a little extra twist. "In his apartment where he always is after a visit with the Morrigan." He said as if it should be obvious.

At the mention of the dark fae leaders name Bo became a little more paranoid and asked, "Is he alone now?"

"How should I know?" the bouncer said disparagingly, "I'm not going to get involved in my bosses sex life. Would you?" he asked looking at the young woman as if she were insane to even think of doing so. Bo thought about it and realizing he had a point, slammed the other fae's head into the wall, a couple of times dark under fae had notoriously hard heads after all. She left him where he landed and headed down the hall a little faster than before.

Knowing from what the burly underfae said that the other security guards probably wouldn't come down this way looking for him. She was more determined than ever to find the Mesmer's apartment. If one fae was afraid to interfere in Vex's love life than it was a safe bet the others would be as well. So in the mind benders apartment was where Bo wanted to be when they finally did come looking. It made sense to her at the time, anyway.

She had found, a janitors closet, the boiler room, a couple of locked doors, a bathroom, an emergency exit door, and a couple of supply rooms before she came to a set of double doors.

Surprisingly or not considering the guards reaction, the doors were unlocked and the succubus slid inside stealthily. She took it as a good sign that she wasn't immediately set upon by the Morrigan's goons. So she took the few seconds to look around, the kitchen looked mid-century modern with newer appliances the furniture was overstuffed dark leather and manly, bulky looking Contemporary furniture.

Not as flamboyant as she was expecting for someone like Vex. It was all actually surprisingly tasteful. Hell compared to the Crack Shack, a slum would be tasteful. Compared to her home this place was downright opulent, and quiet. So no company, or there would probably be screaming, howling, possibly even sinister theme music.

She moved catlike toward the only real light source in the apartment, what she assumed was the bedroom. What she saw laying in the bed was hamburger. For several minutes her brain couldn't process it as anything remotely human or fae like. Let alone that it was Vex, the ever vibrant and energetic dark fae Mesmer.

Finally after several minutes of standing frozen in the doorway of the bedroom, the voice she labeled inside her head as Kenzi yelled, "Move. Check his pulse and breathing."

Still breathing, she saw the chest rise and fall as she got closer. She checked a surprisingly undamaged section of skin around the neck. Ok not undamaged she thought as she noted the bruises there, but at least the skin was intact and the pulse was there. Weak and thready, but the pulse was still there.

She considered calling her girlfriend back, Lauren was usually the one who dealt with the serious wounds like this and when she wasn't available it was usually Kenzi who did the patching up. Yet another reason to miss her friend at this very moment.

The thought had Bo remembering Kenzi's rather haphazard way of patching things up at the Crack Shack. Inspired by her missing friend, the succubus went running for the nearby janitors closet for medical supplies.

 **~O~**

The quartet of Derek, Stiles, Kenzi and Dyson were having a rather lively argument over of all things comics when Derek got the call. It was Peter, telling them that Cora was in the hospital. The news chilled them all as they had been trying to avoid this very thing to avoid risking the exposure of werewolves and the fae to the human world.

In a surprising display of self recrimination the older werewolf explained that he had been researching the case of the virgin deaths and had lost track of his niece for a time. The hospital had called him to tell him that his niece had been found delirious in the refrigerated section of the local grocery store. She had been complaining of being too hot, and upon checking the EMT's who had first responded had found she had a temperature of 108.

"What's even more disturbing is the fact that she has been throwing up copious amounts of an unidentifiable black goo. They need one of us there to give permission for testing, which of course we can't do, and that's just going to raise more questions," the older Beta was clearly nearing hysteria as he spoke.

Derek reassured his uncle that they were on their way and would meet him at the hospital. With that as incentive, the Spark, who the Alpha had let drive to everyone's surprise, took a turn so quickly the werewolves in the SUV were sure they felt at least two of the vehicles tires come off the ground. "Hold on," Stiles said after the fact.

Kenzi lost track of how many traffic laws her de facto student broke on the way to the hospital, but no one in the vehicle was going to call him on it. Even Dyson encouraged him to go faster if he could. The Spark actually took that as permission and displayed driving skills that were obviously borne from an expertise with video games.

The Goth girl finally lost her cool as they pulled into the parking lot giving a squeak and covering her eyes. The younger man didn't bother with the driveway but pulled across the grassy verge that separated the parking lot from the street itself. Bouncing them into a parking space that was right next to the emergency room entrance, totally ignoring the "For Police Vehicles Only" sign.

He was out the door almost before he could get the keys out of the ignition and pocketing the keys and something else, when he saw Derek and Kenzi looking at him, he merely responded, "What I got us here quick didn't I?"

Surprisingly Peter was quicker as he was already standing waiting for them. They saw before she pulled the curtain, that Mellissa McCall was helping another nurse to get Cora out of her jacket and obviously trying to get her changed into a hospital gown. "They are not going to let her out of here like she is. They're afraid it might be some kind of pathogen that could infect others, and they don't want an epidemic on their hands. Their words not mine." he added.

Stiles called his dad as kind of an end-run just in case any of the fine citizens of Beacon Hills had seen him breaking any of the traffic laws on the way to the hospital.

The Sheriff politely informed the teen, "From what I've already heard, you managed to smash, spindle, mutilate, and demolish enough traffic laws to have your license taken away until sometime in your mid-thirties, if you're lucky." John then informed his son that, "I've already been passing it around that it was a medical emergency. Keep me informed about Cora's condition."

Stiles looked up to see that while Derek and Peter seemed to be locked in an intense conversation, Kenzi was missing and if the way Dyson was staring at the curtained off cubicle that contained Cora that's where the she-wolf was. Probably trying to soothe her delirious sister. The Omega was leaning up against a nearby wall clearly doing his best to stay out of the way and be as inconspicuous as possible at the same time.

He tuned into the conversation that the Alpha was having with his uncle and felt something suspiciously like concern enter his heart. As he heard Derek ask the older wolf desperately, "Are you telling me there's a way I could save her…"

"I'm just saying it's possible, but if you do, you could lose your Alpha status," the older wolf said soothingly but Stiles saw the spark of avarice in his eyes.

He interjected quickly as he fished in the pocket of his jacket, "Or how bout we try this first." he said as he held up the bottle of medicine that had been sitting in the Alpha's SUV. "Let's give her this and see if it works before you go doing something drastic. Give it 72 hours, come on."

"Cora doesn't have 72 hours Stiles," the older wolf snapped waspishly.

"Then give me 24 hours, just 24 hours. Then if it doesn't work, we can try it your way," the Spark said to Derek instead of Peter already seeing the martyred look already entering the Alpha's eyes.

Instead of answering /Derek merely gave the teen a short, sharp nod. Kenzi came out at that minute to tell them they were moving Cora to one of the exam rooms. For more privacy and reduced chance of whatever pathogen she had being spread. They watched as she was pushed, bed and all down the hospital hallway a short distance to an actual exam room.

After a short discussion between the Spark and the Head Nurse, the family and Stiles were allowed to see the ailing teen. Derek took her hand as soon as they were allowed into the room and began drawing her pain. Cora came out of her delirium for a moment and said, "What's wrong with me?"

"I don't know, but I'm here and I'm not leaving," Derek comforted his little sister.

"Ok Cora," Stiles said from Cora's other side, "I need you to drink this for me. All of it, I added a little pecan and vanilla flavoring to it so hopefully it tastes like Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Here you go." With that he helped her drink the contents of the bottle down quickly.

From the expression on the teen wolf's face, the concoction most definitely did not taste like Butter Pecan Ice Cream, but at least she had gotten it all down and so far was keeping it down. Stiles took the bottle back, capped it and put it back in his pocket. Just in time as the other nurse came back in at that moment.

They waited for her to finish doing her exam of Cora including taking the younger werewolves vitals. Then with instructions not to tire the patient out, she left. Before they could say anything though an alarm sounded from somewhere in the hospital and an announcement came over the intercom system.

" **We are in a lockdown situation. Please be aware security will be making rounds. No one is allowed in or out of the hospital at this time. All visitors are requested to stay where they are. Patients are advised for their own safety to stay in their rooms. I repeat we are in a lockdown situation."**

The group in the room looked at each other suspiciously before Kenzi said, "We'll go see if we can find out what's going on," before she grabbed Dyson by the arm and pulled him out of the exam room, just as Scott walked in.

"Who was that?" Stiles best friend asked as he walked in.

"Wrong time to develop a healthy sense of curiosity, Scott," Stiles responded surprisingly without rolling his eyes at his friends bad sense of timing.

"We need to get her out of here," Peter said as he headed through the door to go see if he could find a wheelchair or stretcher for his niece.

"So how long should this take really?" Derek asked the Spark effectively ignoring the younger werewolf.

"Really, we should see a rather volatile reaction fairly quickly. That's when we'll know it's really working," he Spark said reassuringly. At that moment the young woman sat up in the hospital bed and vomited a substantial amount of the black goo onto the floor.

Splattering Scott's shoes and lower pants with the black goo in the process, "I'd say it's working Stiles and eww." He added as he tried to shake off the liquid. "I was here to bring Mom dinner and then the alarm went off. She was telling me about Cora being here and then she went to go see what the whole security thing was about and I thought I would come check on Cora." Scott further explained.

Stiles ignored the other teen as he told Derek, "We should really get Cora back to the loft. Theyalready think she's got some weird illness if they discover that she suddenly makes a semi-miraculous recovery, as in no longer suffering from an inhumanly high temperature they're going to run a battery of tests on her to figure out what the heck happened. Not to mention potentially calling in the CDC."

Derek agreed saying, "Where is Peter? He should have been back by now." All three head out into the hall, which is surprisingly empty. They do hear a commotion coming through the double doors at the end of the hall.

A body comes sliding through the double doors on its back to land at their feet. It was Peter, looking the worse for wear as he tells them, "We may have a problem."

 **~O~**

Melissa McCall pressed the elevator button several times in obvious impatience. She paused to collect her thoughts and drew a deep breath in order to try and regain some of the calm she was famous for.

She had already been on every floor of the hospital at least twice. Including all of the entrances and exits and even the security room where there were supposed to be at least two security guards on duty at all times. Only to discover there wasn't a single security guard to be found anywhere in the hospital. At least not that she could find.

She sighed and glanced up to see where the elevator was in relation to her location. Instead something odd caught her eyes. A white cane was sticking out of the side of the elevator. She reached up a little mystified and wiggled the tip of the cane loose and found the device had a sharpened tip almost like a spear point. She was trying to figure out what to do with the cane when a voice behind her said, "Ah, Miss McCall thank you. I was wondering where that had gotten to." As the can was taken from her hands and a tip was placed very carefully over the spear point.

Melissa McCall studied the couple who had come up behind her. The man was slender to the point of gaunt, Handsome and confident, even with the dark glasses he reminded heer a little too much of Peter Hale to make her comfortable. The woman was beautiful tanned skin, shoulder length dark hair athletic, she would have been considered beautiful by many, but the thing moving just beneath the surface showed the true nature of who she was.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N~ So on top of everything else I went back over the previous chapter and discovered I had left off a whole scene. Sorry about that folks and I will repost the last chapter at the same time I'm posting this one. Yay for you, two for the price of one. Posting will be irregular but I will still try to keep up and do it once a week. Still working on the other story I lost. Please don't forget to fave and review. ~A**

 **Chapter 14**

"Can I help you?" Melissa was proud her voice didn't waver at all.

"You are a true credit to your profession my dear." the man said and even though he couldn't see the head nurse couldn't shake the feeling that he was assessing her.

The other woman spoke, "The boy takes after her, same skin tone and hair color even the waves are the same. The bone structure is even the same although there's something about the eyes…" she said stepping forward to look at Melissa more closely.

"He has his father's eyes," Melissa said distractedly. "So you know Scott?"

"Oh yes we're very familiar with Scott. Unfortunately, I've been trying to get a message to him for a few weeks now without success. I think you're just the messenger I need to get through to young McCall" With those words the woman reached for Melissa but before she could even touch her a knife appeared embedded in the other woman's hand.

She screamed in rage as she drew back and turned to face the attackers. Another couple were running down the hall toward them. The young woman slammed into the mans legs like she was sliding into third at a baseball game and swept his white cane aside with one hand while sweeping his legs out from under him.

The man went toe to toe with the tanned woman both showed their fangs at each other, clawed hands trying to gain purchase on each other. The girl picked the dagger up and stabbed the other woman in the thigh, with one hand. While shoving Melissa behind her against the wall.

Decaulion took a swipe in their general direction and Kenzi avoided it barely by pulling off a Matrix like move. Kali managed to get away from the male werewolf and grabbing Decaulion pulled him toward the now open elevator.

"I'm Kenzi, this is Dyson. We're here to help, said the young brunette, as each of these two new arrivals grabbed an arm and started quick stepping her back the way they had come.

The man said with a hint of pride, "Nice move with the throwing knife by the way. I didn't know you had gotten so good with those things."

"I was actually aiming for center mass," the girl deadpanned as they rushed down the hall.

 **~O~**

The succubus found the janitors closet again. She flipped on the light and looked around. Grabbing the duct tape off the hook first. It was a fairly new roll of the stuff so that was a good thing.

Next came a couple of tarps, a new plastic bag of shop towels, a utility knife, and the small first aid kit off the wall. She knew fae healing was something incredible and that Vex probably wouldn't die. On the other hand on their worst day none of them, not her, Kenzi or their other friends not even Dyson, "Mr. Take One for the Team" had ever looked as bad as the Mesmer did right now.

That thought had the succubus spurred back to action and she took her booty of medical supplies back to the dark fae's apartment. She dumped the contents of her arms onto the blood soaked sheets beside the fae. She had seen her bestie use this technique on Dyson when he had gone up against some unidentified underfae that had more claws than reasoning skills and Lauren had been otherwise occupied.

Taking the utility knife she extended the blade and cut as deep as she could into the duct tape and dragged a line through as many layers of the stuff as she could. She opened the first aid kit and nearly screamed in frustration at the woeful inadequacy of the thing. A tiny bottle of hand sanitizer, a few too large gloves, band aids, a large tube of antibiotic ointment, and some little packets of pain killers. She took out all of the gloves and the tube of ointment, shoving the rest to the foot of the bed,'

Again epiphany struck in the form of Kenzi, and she went looking for the Mesmer's liquor cabinet and found Kenzi's form of heaven. A variety of drinkable alcohol that would keep the Goth happy for a while at least. She grabbed a bottle of vodka, at least she thought it was vodka, it was clear, the lettering on the bottle was Cyrillic and she was fairly sure that any germs that survived that high a proof it was either a mutant bug or fae.

She thought for a few seconds about putting the tarp down but any blood that was already on the bed had probably soaked through to the mattress. Yep Vex would definitely be getting a new bed, so a little alcohol in the mix wouldn't be changing that anytime soon. "Sorry Vex, this is going to hurt like a bitch."

Bo knew she was running low on time when the dark fae didn't even twitch as the alcohol was poured over the mess of meat that used to be smooth pale skin and muscle. She put the alcohol down on the nightstand after taking a healthy swig of the stuff for herself and told the unconscious mind bender, "You're very lucky Kenzi got me interested in jigsaw puzzles and even luckier I seem to be pretty good at it.

She put on a pair of the gloves and began piecing the fae's skin back together. The succubus worked as quickly as possible and when she had finished putting a section back together and was certain it wasn't missing anything she would take several strips of the tape and tape down the layers. Using the tape rather like butterfly strips to hold the pieces together.

It was tedious and several times she had to stop to stretch her muscles, rotate her neck, before starting on the next section of flesh. It gave her a new appreciation for her girlfriends level of patience and dedication. She at least had the advantage of her patient being unconscious and nonverbal and not able to complain like most fae.

She used the shop towels to carefully try to remove enough of the still sluggishly flowing blood to see what she was doing. Bo found herself growing furious at the condition of the unconscious dark fae. Ok yes occasionally she liked to dabble in the darker side of things, but the keywords were always safe and sane. There was nothing of either of those phrases in this carnage.

She knew that Vex had hinted at a sexual relationship with the Morrigan. Sex had to involve at least a small hint of attraction and potentially affection, there was no sign of either in this. To do this to someone and then drop them here like so much trash to live or die at fates whim. Yeah she hated to say it but someone needed to take the Morrigan down at least a few pegs and Bo felt she might be just the succubus for the job.

She sighed as she began tearing the top sheet into strips to wrap up her handiwork in. She turned the dark fae up on his side and discovered with gratitude that Evony had confined her abuse to the Mesmer's back. She struggled to finish binding Vex's wounds and by the time she was done, she herself was covered in blood, sweat and gore.

Covering the Mesmer with the bedspread to the waist she removed her own clothes and picked out one of the Mesmer's longer shirts and a pair of skinny jeans that the succubus hoped would fit over her rounded hips. Bo went to luxuriate in a hot shower to remove the ick she was currently sporting.

~O~

Derek and Stiles each grab one of Peter's hands and help the older wolf to his feet as Scott rushes over to the nurses station medicine room. He punches a code into the keypad and opens the door calling, "Over here," over his shoulder.

The others rush into the room while Stiles cries, "Why do you have the code to the medicine room?"

The Beta looked at his bestie as he said innocently, "Dude my mom is the head nurse she sets the code and they're all the same. Besides its my birthday, how could I not know my birthday?"

The Spark decides right then and there that he and Mama McCall need to have a serious discussion about security standards in the hospital. His thoughts are interrupted by Peter though who says, "Another time boys, can we please try and find something that we can use against the Super Wolf?"

"How about this?" Scott says excitedly as he holds up the paddles of the portable defibrillator.

"Do you know how to use it?" Derek asked with amazing calm as he continued to look through the medical supplies on the shelves of the med room.

"No," Scott said as he continued to hold the device.

"Then no, at best you'll probably only piss him off, at worst you'll electrocute yourself." the Alpha said, "So no, find something else."

"How about this?" Stiles said holding up a rather large vial of liquid, "It's adrenaline."

"No as big as they are it won't kill them. It'll only make them stronger." Derek said without looking over at the teen Spark.

"How strong?" asked Peter looking at the Spark and the vial of medicine with interest and a bit of cunning.

Stiles slipped from the med room back across the hall to the exam room that Cora was in. The teen girl while by no means heavy was dead weight. Grateful the emergency room was on the ground floor, the Spark grounded himself and drew energy into his body from the earth under the hospital. The ground there had lain dormant for some time and was more than happy to give the energy to the Spark. Drawing the energy he expressed his gratitude to the earth before lifting Cora into his arms.

He held the she wolf, grateful for the added strength. Watching as the trio of werewolves came out of the med room and ran down the hall, they were the distraction. Stiles job was to get Cora out of harm's way. He managed to slip through the double doors and into the entrance to the ambulance bay. He maneuvered the unconscious young woman down the ramp and found an ambulance with engine running and doors open sitting in the ambulance bay empty.

While grateful for the hiding place, Stiles really was going to have to discuss with Mama McCall the serious lack of security going on in the hospital. Of course considering there were probably a whole Pack of werewolves running around he probably really shouldn't complain.

He settled Cora onto the stretcher gently as he thought, "What am I saying there are two packs of werewolves running around and I'm part of one of them." To Cora he said reassuringly, "Ok so we wait here for our Pack to take care of the Alpha's and you just keep breathing while we wait."

He hears a roar that sounds like pain or anger but he's not actually a wolf so he's not entirely sure. Then he notices Cora's continued stillness even unconscious, this level of still for a werewolf doesn't seem right. "Why do you look so still?" Stiles asked and then put his ear to the young woman's chest. Hoping she didn't wake up at that moment and rip out his throat for it.

The teen realized Cora had stopped breathing her heart was still beating he felt the pulse in her wrist but it was wavering. He started resuscitation, breathing for the girl, desperately. Trying to get the other teen to start breathing again. She had just drawn her first breath when Derek snatched the door to the back of the ambulance open. He sees the Spark breathing for his sister and accused, "So now you're kissing my sister?"

The Spark is stunned and the surprise flashes to anger as he yells in the startled Alpha's face, "What? No, she stopped breathing, I was saving her. You are the biggest werewolf sized douche bag, I have ever met." He grabbed the werewolf by the ears and yanks him in for a kiss. It was hot, messy and desperate. Stiles slid his tongue into the werewolves mouth. He felt the sharpness of a fang, the copper of blood from where Derek had been hit by the Super Wolf no doubt and Derek. The taste was green, dark and had him holding on even tighter.

Until someone coughed, he looked up to find the ambulance bay, held not just the two of them, but Peter, Scott, Kenzi and Dyson who all seemed to have smiles on their faces but also Melissa who was working to get into the back of the ambulance and to Cora. Without a word Stiles released the Alpha and left.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N~ Hope everyone is enjoying the story. I'm sorry if I seemed a little vague about what has happened to Vex. His wounds are horrifying, so I figured Bo would gloss over it, to do what she had to do to save his life. Also please be aware that because of the lack of wifi I will be trying to post two chapters a week. Last week didn't work out that way because of the missing scenes. ~A**

 **Chapter 15**

Derek sighed once again and both of his younger sisters shared a look before rolling their eyes. Alpha's really should never sigh, it was bad for the image. They were supposed to be fearsome and roaring. Not mooning over a mortal like a lovesick paramour.

Well maybe not now. Right now he was supposed to be helping do therapy with Cora as she is still recovering. However while his little sister might still not be 100%, it doesn't stop her from telling her older brother off the next time he sighs again, "You're an idiot." Cora said in that direct way she had that reminded him entirely too much of their older sister Laura. "Stop being a mope and tell him how you feel and that you were being an idiot, and that you apologize profusely."

Scott and Peter were also there and trying not to show how amusing they find the whole thing. They fail miserably but they try. Well Scott tries anyway, his behavior at the hospital and trying to protect Cora, has won him some good grace with some in the Pack, but not so much with Stiles.

When Derek looks to the rest of the Pack for information on the missing Spark Kenzi tells her brother. "Right now, Stiles is even refusing to take training sessions," she side eyes her brother as she adds, "in hopes of avoiding you my dear Alpha. I just hope we don't all end up regretting it in the future because he didn't practice more."

Scott tells the Alpha and everyone else, "Stiles isn't returning my calls He's still angry with me because I stood up for Allison."

A deeper voice said from the doorway, "I agree with Stiles," Boyd said as he stepped through the open door into the loft. He walks over to the youngest Hale and gave her a hug before adding with a harsh look at McCall, "Allison was wrong to kidnap and help torture us, Scott. There's no spin you can put on it that will change my mind about that. We were her friends. Erica is still in a coma, in the hospital. The fact that Allison still hasn't come forward and apologized for it is just wrong in too many different ways to count."

When it looks as if the other Beta was about to argue, Boyd said plainly, "Scott. What if it had been your Mom or your best friend…oh wait it was." He said as he glared the other boy down his eyes glowing a deep gold.

"Stiles has come to visit Erica quite a few times in the past several weeks. Then the other day, he got really excited. He took a few strands of her hair and some nail clippings, which she's going to kill him for, when she wakes up. He thinks he can heal Erica though, like he did Cora. He just needs a little time."

The teen then let some of his exhaustion show as his shoulders slowly lowered from around his head, "He set wards around the hospital, so the Alpha's can't get in again. So they can't get to Erica or your mom," Boyd said with a half-hearted glare at Scott. "Course this was as he was yelling at your Mom about the security codes and something about the ambulance bay security, it wasn't pretty." Even though he said this with all seriousness there was a smile on his face that made him look positively angelic.

Kenzi saw that smile and recognized what it was that had attracted the comatose Erica to the muscular young man, besides the muscles. "He also said to tell you guys he set up wards around the loft. I think his exact words were he was tired of every Tom, Dick, and Hairy Ass breaking in at all hours like the place was Grand Central Stalker or something."

The Beta looked at Derek as he continued, "He said to tell you he made the equivalent of a rolled up magazine with a lot more oomph? He said you'd know what he meant."

The Alpha actually laughed, the sound burst out of him unexpectedly and he continued to snicker as he said, "He did it. He actually did it."

 **~O~**

Evony sat in her very comfortable chair in her dungeon as several of her personal guard helped the young man down from her whipping post. He was young and hadn't lasted very long under her attentions. It was actually rather disappointing and barely kept her occupied for a good fifteen minutes. She glanced at the clock on the wall and amended ten minutes. Really disappointing, the fae these days really weren't as strong as their predecessors, no staying power at all.

As she waited for her next victim…uh subject to be put in place. She tried to formulate a plan for what to do about the situation in Beacon Hills.

Her nemesis, I'm sorry that light fae poppin-jay was beyond being a thorn in her side or even a rival of any sort and had gone straight into nuisance. It was one thing to kill her sister, the stubborn woman who could have used anyone of a half dozen potions or another dozen ways to de-curse herself. Instead she had chosen to go the normal human routes of medicine and died for her trouble.

Now the poisonous snake was trying to not only shift the balance of power between the Nemeton and attacking the Hale Pack, the protectors of the tree. Who her last remaining family member just happened to ba part of. As a power play it was epic, and the plan was elegantly packaged. Something she herself could be proud of, if it didn't involve her family that is.

And that thought brought another. The unaligned succubus' little friend, what was her name…she barely put three brain cells on remembering the younger woman' name before she thought. "Doesn't matter, her last name is Hale and she's from Beacon Hills. What's the likelihood she's _**not**_ related to the Hale family from that particular town, slim to none.

So put her to work protecting the Morrigan's little asset in that town. Well her and her friend Bo anyway. Then she thought about it and remembered her last encounter with the little Goth and realized that the young werewolf had no reason to offer herself to the task. Other than family loyalty and from what Evony had heard there was precious little if any of the old Hale Pack left.

Then she remembered one of her favorite partners. "Now Vex had stamina he had lasted for hours. Her rage over the danger to the cub though had rendered even the Mesmer unconscious and yes perhaps the Morrigan had gone a little overboard today," she thought with a wince, "Oh well Vex would forgive her, he always did."

There was a friendship of sorts between her pet mindbender and the mismatched pair of fae. Yes she knew the little Goth was fae, it was the only possible reason she had been able to stay partners with the succubus for so long without ending up dead, as any normal human would have done. Evony was no fool. She was also a master manipulator she would use his "friendship" with the pair to coerce them into helping her protect her sisters child.

"Norris," she said summoning the older fae who was in charge of her dungeon to her side imperiously. The older fae woman disapproved of the Morrigan's methods, but disorder and chaos were Evony's way of getting what she wanted. She wasn't about to change now. "Where is Vex?"

The older woman raised one brow as she stared down her patrician nose at the other woman as she said, "I sent him back to his quarters in the usual way, as we do with all of those who are blessed by your touch. The rule is once they have enjoyed your tender mercies, they are free to go. No one is twice blessed by your presence in the same day."

Evony scowled, "It was true, it was a rule, she should know, she had made it." In this case though the human idiom applied, "Rules were meant to be broken, bring him back." She was distracted by the sound of the bell indicating that her next victim was in position and was ready for her attentions, no matter how reluctantly. She rose from her chair and went to chose one of her toys to use on the young woman who was now in place.

~O~

The accommodations were appalling really, the Alpha of Alphas thought as he scraped a fingernail across the surface of the wood table and felt the filth accumulate there with disgust, but what could you expect. This was a rush job and better couldn't be found on such short notice. "Our patron is growing impatient." he said out loud.

He heard the twins shuffle in the corner and Kali's toe claws click across the floor as she came closer. Not too close though, she had learned better. "Apparently he thinks we should have had the Hale Pack in the ground by now." he added. The fact the pompous ass thought he had the right to dictate their timetable amused the older wolf.

"We had no way of anticipating how close knit the group would be or the talents they could bring to the table." Kali said in a somewhat deferential tone. Good she had been more respect since the death of Ennis. Though her grief over the loss of the other male did occasionally rear its head.

"Yes this Stiles was a surprising addition to the equation. A Spark, too bad he's so close to the McCall boy, he could bean an outstanding addition to the Pack. Even if he isn't a werewolf. He would never allow the death of McCall to go unchallenged though." Decaulion mused.

"Perhaps we could keep them both. It's not like there isn't precedent for it." the she wolf suggested, indicating the twins who were doing their best to be inconspicuous but were still listening in to the conversation he was sure.

"Hmm, an interesting thought." the blind wolf said thoughtfully, as he considered the suggestion. Even though the order had been for all of the Pack to be eliminated, how would the fae council member ever find out the difference anyway.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N~ In case it needed repeating there is a T for a reason people. Some foul language is to be expected, there will be no sex, but there will be intimate, romantic moments and possibly implied off screen sex. Also slash, there is a reason for Stiles and Derek to be in parenthesis together, so there is that folks. ~A**

 **Chapter 16**

Stiles stared from the darkened room out into the hospital parking lot and into the night sky beyond where the partial moon was rising above the trees. He heard the soft sound of the door opening behind him. He knew instantly it wasn't Boyd or one of the nurses and stiffened. "Come to finish the job Allison?" he said and his voice while soft, was silky with menace, as he turned to face the intruder. "I guarantee you won't find either of us as easy a target this time around."

Trying to ignore the frisson of fear that went down her spine at the coldness of the voice, she changed the subject and asked, "How is she?"

His head tilted to the side slightly Stiles asked "Do you really care or are you just trying to ease your guilt over your part in her ending up here?"

"I didn't put her here," the huntress denied hotly, "That was the Alpha Pack."

"Oh yes of course and the things you and your family did had nothing to do with it. The multitude of arrows, the electrocution, the beatings, the kidnapping, and torture didn't weaken them so they were easy pickings for the Alpha Pack I suppose? You know the only reason that you and your little pack of homicidal maniacs aren't in jail right now?"

The tearful teen shook her head as the boy advanced on her, "It's because my dad was out of it, he had no idea about the supernatural. Don't worry though he's very nicely clued up about everything, and yes I do mean everything. So stay out of the Preserve and away from the Pack, including Scott. Oh yeah, and as for my dad, if anymore teens show up dead or injured you and yours are at the top of his suspect list. Right beside the Alpha Pack, the fact that he may throw the lot of you in with the Alpha's is a definite possibility."

"Stiles, I didn't make the monsters they did," Allison began.

"Really?" and in a trick of the light from the hall his eyes glowed as he asked, "Just who are the monsters Allison, the werewolves who protect the town from the kanima's, the Alpha Pack and the other creatures that decide we look like fair game or the hunters who attack a bunch of teenagers because they're different or because they hang out with the different ones?" Another trick of the light caused her to see the bruises on his face that her grandfather had put there once again. "Did you really think your family was going to let me go when they got done with me Allison? The Sheriffs son who you kidnapped and beat up and let me see what you were doing with my friends. Just going to let me go and say sorry for the trouble and oh here's an icepack for the eye. Apologize," he demanded.

"I…what?"

"Apologize. Make me believe your sorry for all of this," he hissed indicating the bed with the still form of Erica lying in it. "I …can't They killed my mother Stiles." She said as she turned away to try and make her escape.

Only the teen wouldn't let her, he snatched her back around and when she took a swing at him. He dodged but swung back and slapped her across her face. "The truth is your mother killed herself and you can't face it because she would rather leave you than become a werewolf. The thing she hated most. And do you know why? Because she couldn't face the fact that you and Scott were still dating, still in love enough to defy her. So she tried to kill him and Derek saved Scott by biting your Mom. How exactly did your dad and grandpa spin it to make it sound otherwise or did they tell you the truth and you just spun it into some horror story, where it was the werewolves fault because your mom loved you too much to just give up like that?"

"OH like your mom did?" Allison nearly yelled and there was nothing of the sweet girl in her now. "She left you because you were such a spazz, isn't that what everyone says."

"MY mom had fronto-temporal dementia Allison," and the tone of voice was just wrong there was no heat, no anger, just resignation as Stiles continued, "It's a disease that basically eats the brain bit by bit. She fought for nineteen months to stay with my dad and me, she fought hard. Your mom should have fought to stay with you and your dad, I'm sorry she didn't but that's not your fault, its not Derek's fault, not anyone else's except your families twisted sense of reality. They both heard the quiet alarm start going off from his phone. "I've been very patient with you Allison but now its time for you to go. Remember tell your family my dad knows about you and the supernatural. You don't hunt in our territory anymore until you prove your back to following the code." He said as he shoved her out the door and locked it behind her with a resounding click.

He pulled the curtain to shield the bed from the sight of the little window in the door and began the spell.

 **~O~**

Bo grew bored quickly. She was a woman of action after all, whether sexual or otherwise. After finding Vex's wardrobe and availing herself of one of his larger shirts and squeezing her curvy figure into a pair of his jeans without having to use a shoe horn thank you very much. After that there was nothing left to do but watch Vex heal, and let's face it , watching Vex heal was like watching anyone heal…tedious.

So she began to explore the Mesmer's apartment. She started with the Mesmer's living room, and was studying the decorations. Unlike most menthe dark fae seemed to love to surround him self with interesting or beautiful things instead of going the minimalist route.

On a stand in an oddly lit little alcove sat a large, shallow bowl. The glaze if that's what it was, was in beautiful earthy tones of copper, blood red, and black. As she stepped closer to examine it, an array of lasers shot out to play across the surface of the bow. She began to hear voices from the bowl. The succubus had been around the fae long enough to recognize one of the fae languages, but she didn't know it well enough to know what the voices were saying.

Bo backed away startled by the voices and the array of lasers shut off again, as soon as the lasers stopped so did the voices. "Ok that was random and a little freaky." admitted the succubus out loud. She looked around a little desperately for something else to attract her attention.

Her gaze fell on a piece of driftwood on a shelf on another wall nearby. It actually had a spotlight on it, as if to be noticed and highlighted. The wood was beautiful in that way the things of nature have. It gleamed with a natural patina, free of dust, polished smooth and dark from what she could only imagine were many years at sea. She had just laid her hand on the smooth surface of the dark wood when someone kicked in the front door of Vex's apartment.

 **~O~**

There was pain. The pain was all encompassing, there was not hair or cell of her body that did not burn with pain, scream with it. There was darkness, it was an old fear that she had never been able to shake. The fear of the darkness swallowing her up one day and there would be nothing she could do about it. The fear that one day she would succumb in one of her seizures and never again be able to escape that darkness remained even after Derek had given her the gift.

Most horrible of all though was the loneliness. Ever since she had been diagnosed the loneliness had been her constant companion and it had only increased as time and her illness had progressed. Even her parents had begun to distance themselves in more recent years as though preparing themselves ahead of time for the ultimate goodbye. She may be bad ass now but fear was still her constant companion that all of that would return and it had.

Then the burning and the pain began to ebb away. The pain eased away to minor hurts instead of the constant mind numbing roar. The burning eased to warmth, and the loneliness eased as she felt someone holding her hand in theirs. It wasn't Boyd his hand would have swallowed her in his grasp.

Then a voice came from the darkness and it was a good voice, comforting, familiar and gentle as it said, "Don't worry Cat Woman. You're safe, the pain will be gone soon. Your Pack loves you and we are keeping watch over you. Sleep. When you wake up again, Boyd will be here and so will some of the other members of your Pack." A soft kiss to the forehead and she slipped back into the darkness for a time. The darkness which no longer seemed so forbidding or lonely as before.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N~ Ok so again remember the T-rating. Fourteen and under, need not apply and for those who may be triggered there is BDSM rules and so forth that are discussed. No sex or actual torture but it is mentioned and of course there is some bad language. Very much like the show. ~A**

 **Chapter 17**

Issac was smart enough to admit that he still had a lot to learn. Derek's training had taught him enough that though there was still a great deal of mistrust in the teen from his past, there was strength in numbers. He also knew that for wolves there was no bond stronger than mates. Not just hooking up, or flirting , but actual mates.

According to Kenzi it was hard to find your mate sometimes. The red-haired wolf who stood silently beside her like a bodyguard was her mate and he had to wait for over a thousand years for her. He saw the way they were with each other though. They seemed to gravitate toward each other like a magnet almost, it was especially obvious when they were in the same room. This wolf though had found her from across the country though, all the way to Beacon Hills and then he had followed her until he finally caught up with her.

He had seen something similar between Stiles and Derek, for some reason the Spark had seemed more tuned in than the werewolf but then when the Alpha had denied it, the Spark had backed off. Which apparently pissed Derek off even more than usual. So the Spark had taken the werewolf by the ears and showed his true feelings for everyone to see. Now instead of seeing the opportunity, the older wolf was positively comical in acting a bit lovesick.

Perhaps there was a process to all of this mating stuff. Issac though, who understood time and love being stripped from you at another persons whim, couldn't understand why you would waste an opportunity like this for true love.

He waited until Peter, Cora, Kenzi and Dyson had decided to take the younger werewolf female out for ice cream to celebrate her continued improvement. Derek had begged off with the excuse of more research on the Alpha Pack, but everyone knew it was just so he could mope in peace unmolested by his family.

That was okay. He wasn't family, he was Pack. If Pack couldn't tell you the truth, who could. He knew it was screwed up but he was going with it. If it blew up in his face, he could always use the excuse that he hadn't had a real family in years. Hey he was traumatized and yeah he was going to milk that puppy for all it was worth.

"Not now Issac," the Alpha said, warningly. His eyes flashing crimson as he glanced at the Beta, "I'm busy."

"Busy moping?" the younger wolf said knowingly, "Yeah I noticed and as for not now, if not now when? He's a good looking guy Derek and I know for a fact that you think so too. These walls aren't that thick dude and running water is great but even in a shower it doesn't drown out everything, especially from werewolf ears."

Derek blushed hard, even his ear tips turning bright red as he realized what the younger werewolf had overheard. I survived before he came along, I'll keep surviving…" he began.

Only for the Beta to interrupt and say, "Will you? I think if something happened to Erica, Boyd would follow soon after her. I wish my Dad would have followed my Mom. You think your sister and Dyson would survive each other leaving now that they finally found each other?"

The Alpha wasn't still trying to throw him out, Issac counted it as a victory and kept going. "He made the first move, now it's your turn."

At Derek's doubtful expression, Issac reminded him, "You're the Alpha remember? Your mate actually made the first move, he staked his claim on you in front of everyone. Which is not how its supposed to go, I get it. Stiles challenged your machismo, but in his defense you did kind of force it. Thus the mopiness, mopage? Whatever, this is?" he said with a wave of his hand indicating the general demeanor of the older werewolf.

"Now he is waiting for you to come and claim him, and when you do it you need to make it Alpha'y but also romantic as hell to prove that you're worthy of his big gesture." the younger teen said agreeably. "You know where he is right now and you have the perfect excuse of visiting Erica, your wounded Pack member, so go do it. Get your mate." the Beta said as he headed toward the loft door before he turned back with one more point. "Just don't tell Erica I used her name and wounded in the same sentence please."

"Hey Issac," the Alpha called as the younger wolf pulled the door open. Issac turned back and gazed at Derek questioningly. "How's you get to be so smart?"

The Beta quirked a smile and said, "I'd like to say years of practice, but no pretty sure it happened after you bit me."

As the werewolf stepped across the threshold Derek called again, "Hey Issac?" The younger wolf looked back again this time with both brows raised in query, "Thanks"

Issac gave one of his grins that made his face light up as he said, "Sure. Now go get our mom."

 **~O~**

When the dark fae burst through Vex's door, Bo saw three things. One she recognized the leader as one of the Morrigan's favorites, two there were a lot of them, and three she once again saw the condition they had left Vex in the first time.

The swell of protectiveness that went through the succubus was such that she became enraged on behalf of the Mesmer. The piece of driftwood was in her hands with her at first deciding to use it like a baseball bat. _It_ had other ideas.

When she went to take a swing at the first fae into the room, the baseball swat she was about to take at the fae turned into an underhand swing with the staff, equivalent to a massive uppercut. With the added momentum of her strength the fae went down like a ton of bricks.

Grateful for the move even if she didn't know where it had come from, the unaligned fae, nevertheless realigned for another swing for the bleachers. Only to have the staff swing up to parry a blow from the next fae who came at her, swinging what looked for all the world like a club, complete with nail studs on the end. Then a swing from the left and right ends of the staff, had the succubus delivering a double tap to the head of the attacking fae that left them on the ground stunned.

Bo took a second to stare at the staff as something vague came to mind. No matter what she did the staff had its own plans and seemed to be doing well with its own style of fighting. As she was contemplating this turn of events though, the Morrigan's assistant grabbed her by the elbows temporarily immobilizing her as she spat in her face, "We're not here for you succubus. Stand down, we're only here for the Mesmer."

Bo was sure that the words were supposed to be reassuring instead they only made her angrier. "See, that's a problem." She growled before stepping back throwing the other fae off balance before slamming the staff up to deliver a glancing blow to the other fae's temple and then performing a spinning roundhouse kick to her face.

She rushed to get in between the bedroom where Vex lay helpless and the other fae who had made their way into the apartment. Bo thought it didn't bode well that the lead fae was already back on her feet. Looking only a little unkempt for the trouble.

"Damn it girl, the Morrigan only wants to talk to the Mesmer," the older woman explained a little more hostile now.

"Yeah right, you'll excuse me if I don't believe you. Especially since if you didn't bring him yourself you ordered him dropped off here, in the condition he's in. Knowing he had no one to see to the wounds you watched her inflict and not caring if he lived or died." Bo replied, venom dripping from every word.

The older woman actually developed a flush to her cheeks from the younger fae's words. Bo merely said, "Yeah that's what I thought." Since they weren't actively being attacked, the staff had grounded itself to the floor and for the moment her hands with it.

Bo wanted to attack though, it was almost a visceral need to wreak havoc on these people. Who knew how many fae and humans had fallen before them either through action or inaction. She felt her lips pull back as she snarled at the assembled fae in the room. A threat inherent in the expression, as she said, "There aren't enough fae left you let her kill off more of you for sport then think you have the right to bemoan your imminent extinction and blame it on humans. Really? You should be ashamed. If you even knew what the word meant."

The leader reluctantly reminded, "There are a lot more of us than there are of you. It's only a matter of time before…"

"Just one problem for you, I'm feeling very righteous right now," she said indicating the staff with a glance.

A touch to her arm and she almost brought the staff around to slam into his head. Only once again the staff knew better and stayed grounded as Vex actually held onto her arm for balance. His normally pale face was almost waxen in color, with a grayish cast, his shaggy hair was even shaggier and was actually caked in blood in places. A red silk robe was thrown over his shoulders and loosely belted at the waist to cover his dignity, but the duct tape showed through and looked like some weird kind of armor.

Bo knew better than to try and shake him off, he would have hit the floor. "It's not the staff of righteousness, though is it. That's one of it's cousins, the Staff of Protection. It only activates if you're feeling protective of someone. Never knew you cared, then succubabe."

"Don't call me that," Bo said. Although she was glad to see some of the old spark back in the Mesmer, she could have done without the snark a bit.

"Why not? Kenzi does it all the time," Vex said and Bo was certain she detected a hurt tone in his voice. The fact he was weaving on his feet also didn't bode well.

She turned her burning gaze onto the older fae who led the group and indicating the Mesmer with barely a move of the head said, "Does it look as if he could handle another visit with the Dark Bitch Fae Leader?" she hissed angrily at the other woman.

"Easy Bo, it doesn't matter if I can or not. When my lady calls I must answer the call. It's the rules." Vex said and nearly crashed into her. Instinctively the unaligned succubus let go of the staff to grab the Mesmer before he fell. Instead of falling to the ground the staff flew up into a blocking position as several of the dark fae saw a vulnerability and were about to take advantage until the staff blocked their move.

"Shite, that hurts." said the Mesmer as he was held in place as gently as possible by the unaligned fae. Then he saw the staff flying in mid air. He would have said floating but the staff was moving too aggressively for it to be floating. Then he saw the blue sparks that would occasionally shoot out if one of the fae got to close.

"It's never done that for me. You must have an incredible protective instinct," the Mesmer said as he looked at the young woman who was basically holding him up.

"Let's put it this way, I saw what they let happen to you/ What she did to you and they're here to take you back for more. It took a lot of time and effort to put you back together. I'll be damned if I'm letting them mess up my good work." As she spoke the staff shot off even more blue sparks with some gold as well thrown in for good measure.

"Like I said I have to go but there's nothing says you can't go with me, as my healer, it's your right to ensure my continued well being. After a few assurances from the Master of the Whip of course."

"Norris, I heard you say Evony only wants to talk?" Vex said to the older looking fae woman.

The woman merely nodded not really paying attention to the other fae as she watched the staff suspiciously. "Norris," the dark fae snapped, "I demand your guarantee of safety as the Master of the Whip and the Dungeon. My safe word is barbecue."

The older woman's eyes widened and snapped around to face the mindbender so fast for a second the succubus thought Vex may have taken her mind but she knew instinctively that even as weak as he was, it shouldn't have been possible. When she heard the older woman talk she knew that it was shock that had prompted the dumbfounded expression on the older woman's face.

Norris was a Master of the Whip. She could use her skill with implements of torture to bring forth pleasure or pain to the point anyone would confess whatever she wanted them to. As such for an over 400 year old she had an incredible physique. She was also the Master of Evony's dungeon as such as long as they were in the dungeon she had sway even over Evony. A fact that had never been called into play, until now. The older fae smiled at the dark fae mindbender and there was an almost cunning look in those pale blue eyes as she looked into his dark ones and she said, "Oh you are a clever boy. Very good, yes very good indeed."

"The succubus was not summoned to your dungeon and has no interest in playing. She is merely there to support me, literally. Her safe word is pink." Vex told the older fae. Now that they had reached an understanding between them, the dark fae was a great deal more confident. "What type of transportation have you come in?"

"A van," the older woman said plainly.

"Yeah that you planned on throwing him in the back of like a sack of potatoes no doubt." Bo said with open hostility. The dark fae woman looked at the Mesmer and again there was that fleeting expression of guilt before she pulled out her cell phone and after a few instructions including one barked command again in a fae language Bo didn't understand, Norris looked sheepish as she said, "I'm afraid it will be a few minutes."

"Aha excellent, Vex said cheerily but everyone in his living room could tell the Mesmer was fading fast. "Gives me a little time to make myself a little more presentable. Try not to break anything while I'm gone and by the way touch the bowl and I will turn your brains into tomato paste. Of course for a few of you that might be an improvement. Succubus if you please."

Bo whispered even as she was helping the dark fae back into his bedroom, "Why me?"

"One of all of the people in that room you're the only one I trust not to slip a knife in my back, except maybe Norris. You're also the only ones who have seen me in this condition, and three Norris isn't exactly known for her tender mercies."

"Yeah, ok I can see that." Bo said as she guided the Mesmer into the bathroom. Looking at the shower and the Mesmer's duct tape clad body the unaligned fae said, "Sponge bath."

At the same time the Mesmer said, "Whore's bath," he smirked a little despondently as he admitted, "Yours is nicer, but mine's more accurate."

The brunette didn't comment only ran the tap in the sink until it got to a comfortable warm temperature and then put a stopper in the sink. She went and got the remainder of the shop towels and dropped them in the sink. Then brought in a blood red silk shirt and leather pants from the closet before she turned off the water. She took the first shop towel and after soaping it up she gave it to the Mesmer and did her best to remove the robe to a certain point, while still maintaining his dignity.

"That lady doc is good for your maternal instinct, but might be bad for your sexual instincts," the Mesmer said with a leer.

"You're making a pass at me and you can barely sit up. If I accepted exactly how were you going to make good on it?" she asked as she walked back out of the bathroom and over to the dresser.

"For you love, even in this condition I would definitely make the effort." came the pained statement from the bathroom.

Feeling very much the trespasser and the voyeur Bo opened several drawers till she found a drawer with underwear, one with socks and one with accessories. "What type of underwear, do you want?"

"None." came the reply.

"Ew much," Bo said

"No offense to your delicate sensibilities sweetie but in my current condition and wearing those leathers you've put out. None is about the best I can manage right now." the Mesmer said and there was definitely more than a hint of pain in his voice now.

"Fair enough," Bo said agreeably and moved on to the sock drawer and grabbed out a pair of tube socks. Before going to the accessories drawer, she found of all things a pair of bracers that matched the pair of pants she'd already picked. Then she headed back into the closet and looked for the fiercest pair of boots she could find. A pair of boots that by her estimation came up about mid-thigh on the mans legs and had a small enough heel to not cause the already unsteady fae any issues with his balance hopefully.

When she walked back into the bathroom, the Mesmer was already working to get his pants up his legs and when he saw her come in with the boots a bark of pained laughter escaped his lips. "You have a high opinion of me Bo."

"Not really. Kenzi says whenever you feel your worst that's when you need to look like your going to war. These are the most kick ass pair of boots you have in that closet and today you are wearing them to face the Morrigan."

"I like your thinking." he said as he finally managed to get the leather pants pulled up and zipped. The succubus put the socks on him and then the pair worked together to get the boots on. She then stood and squeezing out one of the shop towels worked to clean off the parts of his back and neck that weren't covered in duct tape, which admittedly there wasn't much of.

Then she looked at his hair again and carefully turning him away from her began working hunks of blood caked hair between the wet edges of the cloth. Until the clots began to break up into the moist fabric. Although they were in a hurry she slowed her movements when she heard Vex give a soft moan. Until she realized the moan was in pleasure not pain. She paused.

"Don't worry succubabe, as you guessed not in any condition to do anything like that. Besides this isn't sexual, not really. More…" Here the Mesmer found himself at a loss for words.

The succubus said, "Comforting." and Vex merely nodded his head as she went back to work on his hair. She combed it out and then finger fluffed the hair, the little bit of blood that was left acted like it's own natural product which the younger fae tried hard not to think too much about. She helped him put on the shirt and left him to button it as she went back out to grab her purse.

The staff had grounded itself she noticed as she grabbed her makeup bag out of her purse. As she walked back to the bedroom, she caught Norris's eye who said, "The car will be here in two minutes. The others will be waiting in the van downstairs," she said. Which was when Bo noticed that the other fae were no longer in the apartment. She nodded at the older woman as she rushed back into the bathroom.

Vex was struggling to put on the second bracer, she helped with it confidently. As she admitted, "This will do. Normally I would say add eight hours of sleep and one of your jackets but the shirt is already more than you should have on and the car will be here in just a minute." She said as she began to apply a slim line of guy liner around his eyes. The man's eyelashes were thick and sooty enough not to need any mascara. Then Bo had a thought, it was risky she hadn't fed in a while and she was not full by any means but the Mesmer needed it more right now and she hadn't even thought of asking him what she needed to know.

She grasped his chin and gently pulled his face up to meet her eyes as she said, "Not sexual, for medicinal purposes only." Before sending a healthy dose of chi into the Mesmer. Vex was shocked and placed a hand on her neck and she suddenly felt as if she was receiving the chi back. As if they were on a feedback loop.

"Car's here," Norris called from the other room. The two pulled back and gazed at each other, both now much stronger than they had been before their shared chi kiss.

"What was that?" Bo asked as she stepped back.

"Have that talk later, yeah?" the Mesmer asked as he levered himself up, still a little wobbly, but at least this time he hadn't needed her help. As they neared the bedroom door he seemed to sag back into the weakened state. Bo gazed at the fae male as he did this and Vex merely winked at her. A quick smirk of relief and understanding graced her expression as she supported him carefully out the door.

Instinctively her hand went up and the Staff of Protection flew into her waiting grasp. Norris looked questioningly at the pair as they made their way to the door of the apartment. The older woman slid into position at the Mesmer's side offering herself as crutch as well to her fellow dark fae as they made their way down to the waiting limo.

Once they were settled and Vex found himself leaning in to the succubus both for support and to ease some of his pain that he heard her whisper, "Barbecue?"

 **~O~**

Stiles sighed in relief as he eased Erica back into a more restful sleep. He quickly packed the few items he had needed for the ritual back into his backpack. Then he pressed the nurses call button. When the nurse came on the line he asked her to call the head nurse. She responded, "I'm afraid the head nurse is very busy can I help you?"

"Yes you might tell the head nurse that Erica Reyes is beginning to wake up and that she might want to call her family and the doctor in charge of her case." Stiles said in a quiet tone. He understood that sometimes the men and women who worked in the medical services business were often stretched to their limit and could be a little snippy. He was wiling to give the woman the benefit of the doubt in this case.

"I beg your pardon?" the woman said and Stiles was willing to admit he was getting a little annoyed as he repeated.

"I said Erica is beginning to wake up and you might wasn't to call Ms. McCall and tell her so she can contact her family and the doctor."

"Ms. Reyes isn't scheduled to come out of her coma yet," the nurse answered and sounded putout as if this were a terrible inconvenience to her schedule.

Stiles had to be snarky as he replied, "I'll be sure to tell her that."

The Spark stood at the window once again and began to try and work the kinks out of all the muscle groups in his body. The spell was a little challenging and rather time consuming involving a lot of tense muscles and now the kinks needed to be worked out

The teen felt someone cross the threshold of the wards. It wasn't one of the Alpha Pack. The backlash of magic would have caused a very audible and physical whomp in the atmosphere. This felt very much like one of the Pack and at first the Spark thought it might have been Boyd, then he felt a twist to his heart and knew who it was even before he'd heard the doorknob to the room twist.

"I find it highly disconcerting that you got here faster than the nurse from the nurses station down the hall. Don't you?" he said without looking away from the window.

He hadn't faced Derek since the incident after he had saved Cora…and kissed the Alpha in front of several members of their Pack. He wondered for a split second if the older man was here to tell him he was kicking him out of the Pack. If so Stiles was going to fight to stay in.

Even though he really didn't want to hate Derek, that would probably be the one thing that might manage to break him. Losing the little family they had in the Pack, Stiles would fight for that, he might not win but he also _was not_ going to willingly give it up.

Stiles continued talking to the window as he saw Derek's shadowy reflection step closer to the bed to check on his sleeping Beta. "She's waking up, was sort of awake a few minutes ago but I put her back to sleep. I want her to wake up gradually, less pain that way.. She is a stubborn little vixen though. The nurse is supposed to be calling Mama McCall, the doctor and hopefully the family. Which will hopefully involve the rest of the Pack. I already texted Boyd, who hopefully won't get any speeding tickets on the way over here."

He saw the reflection scent mark his Beta and brush the blond hair back from her face. Then he stood up and turned to walk toward Stiles. "Did you feel her start to wake up? Is that why you're here?" The Spark realized he was babbling about the time Mama McCall came through the door with the rather harried looking floor nurse.

Melissa Mc/Call stared at the two young men in the room and still stinging from Stiles too accurate assessment of the security at the hospital snapped at the pair, "What are you doing here? "

"Visitors can stay in the ICU rooms in between visiting hours to comfort patients and keep other family members and friends aware of the condition of the patients." Stiles quoted verbatim from the rules that were posted next to the ICU nurses station.

"And I am Erica's guardian in loco parentis. I think you'll find a copy of the document in her chart if not I have a copy right here." Derek said and pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans removed the folded sheet of paper to present to the head nurse. Mama McCall scanned the document while continuing to look a little hostile. Instead of wasting anymore time talking to the pair though, Melissa went instead to assess Erica.

The two men stood side by side at the window, staying out of the way as best they could.. When the nurses began a more thorough assessment, the two refused to leave instead turning away to gaze out the window. In her present mood they were concerned Ms. McCall might throw them out of the ICU if they left the room.

When the nurses finally finished their exam on Erica, Melissa was glaring a little suspiciously at the pair as she came over to speak to them. "Erica does seem to be rousing but that may take a while and it may only be temporary." she told the two younger men in her compassionate professional tone.

The other nurse walked out the door and as soon as the door clicked Melissa asked, "Ok what did you two do?"

Derek widened his eyes innocently, honestly it was a good look for the older man but even Mellissa knew better. Instead she looked at the younger man who was her frustrating pseudo son. Stiles merely gave a small smile to the older woman as he said, "Just a moderate spell to try and increase her own healing factors and boost her adrenaline a little."

"A spell?" the woman said and there might have been just a hint of hysteria in her voice now.

"Yeah. Just a moderate one," the teen said genially as he held his fingers a couple of inches apart to demonstrate. Instead of answering the woman made an odd noise in her throat and turned on her heel to walk out of the hospital room.

"She seems a bit annoyed," Derek rumbled next to him and Stiles had to give a little smile as he replied.

"She's used to it," he said a little too cheerfully as he leaned over to pick up the discarded backpack. "The Pack should be here any minute so I'm just going to go and…"

Stiles felt the iron grip as the werewolf pulled him to a stop. "Aren't you going to stick around, I'm sure they'd all like to thank you for …"

Before he could even finish Stiles was trying to snatch his arm away from the Alpha, "What express their appreciation like you thought Cora and I were doing. Would you let go?"

Instantly Derek released him and overbalanced he fell to the floor, and hissed, "Ow."

"Not what I meant and you know it and you know it. You're a hell of a lot better at expressing yourself than I am. " Derek said as he helped the younger man to his feet.

"Why because I actually talk?" Stiles asked in a snaky tone.

"No because you can do this without feeling self-conscious," the Alpha said before pulling Stiles closer and began to plunder the younger mans mouth. At first Stiles resisted thinking this was some kind of a joke but his feelings for the older man took over and their mouths began meeting instead of clashing.

Stiles and Derek had relaxed into each other and the kisses were becoming hot enough that clothes should have already started flying off or possibly beginning to catch fire when they both heard a sultry feminine voice say in kittenish tones, "You know this would be so hot, if I didn't feel like 10 miles of bad road right now."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N~ Because of several appointments this week and the next, I will not be able to post next week. As I'm actually kind of ahead of schedule though, I'm sure you will all understand. Have a great couple of weeks though and please don't forget to read and review and hope that everyone enjoys it. ~A**

 **Chapter 18**

Issac is running in the woods with Cora as part of her therapy. They aren't anywhere near werewolf levels of speed but they are keeping up a steady pace and Issac is monitoring her breathing and pulse closely to make sure they don't overdo it.

Which is probably why he didn't detect either Allison and Ethan until they were practically on top of them. His quickness kept the youngest Hale from falling over the Alpha Twin but both of them were nearly knocked down when Allison came running around the curve in the trail. To say the meeting was awkward would be understating it mildly. Issac was instantly in Beta mode with teeth showing, eyes gold rimmed and claws extended.

"Easy, I'm not here to fight," Ethan said to the three other teens as he held up his hands.

"No? Then why are you here," the taller Issac said as he stood between the Alpha and the two girls. A fact that nearly choked Allison up considering the way most of the Pack had been treating her lately.

"Apparently the same reason the rest of you are, to take a run." he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Stopped to tie my shoelaces and thought I smelled something. I was trying to figure out what it was when you all came running up and well here we are."

Cora looked at the teen a little suspiciously before saying rather proudly, "Issac can probably tell you, he has one of the best noses in the Pack." She said as she began to walk around in a circle as a stitch was beginning to form in her side.

Seeing her eyebrows beginning to knit in pain the blond teen scented the air and realized that her pain level was indeed increasing. He figured he could help figure out the mysterious scent and take the other werewolf home before her pain level got too high.

He lifted his nose to the soft breeze and inhaled deeply, eyes closed in concentration. They snapped open once again gold rimmed as he said, "Something's dead, something big and freshly killed. The blood isn't even dried yet." He said and then forgetting what he had planned earlier he scrambled into the bramble of dried brush and dead or fallen limbs and things. Clearing a path for the smaller members of the group.

Issac led the way to a clearing in the woods where three adults lay on the ground. Their heads were all nearly touching in the center. One would think lying there looking up into the sky, that they were a parody of kids looking for shapes in the clouds. It all looked perfectly innocent if it weren't for all the blood.

Two women and a man were laying in the clearing, their bodies aligned like some macabre variation of Derek's triskele tattoo. Their throats were nearly cut clean through and the wounds matched very closely to the ones that Stiles had told everyone about at their last Pack meeting. The mass murderer of Beacon Hills had struck again.

Issac had Cora sit down and then called Derek and the Sheriff and in that order. When the deputy asked for directions to their location, Allison took the phone from the younger man and began giving directions to the law enforcement officer.

Ethan was also on the phone apparently to Decaulion about what they had found. When Allison finally got off the phone and gave it back to Issac, the taller blond teen raised an eyebrow at her and the innate and precise sense of direction she had shown, to which the huntress merely responded, "Hunter." and the pair nod at each other understandingly.

 **~O~**

Bo held onto Vex as they traversed the stairs down into the dark fae dungeon. Although she had given him a good portion of her chi, the Mesmer was still acting weak and debilitated and she was more convinced than ever it was an affectation. A trick to look weaker than he actually was to lull the Morrigan and whoever else into a false sense of security.

Bo kept her head on a swivel though as they went into the lower levels of the dark fae compound, otherwise known as the modeling agency the Morrigan used as a business front for their more questionable dealings.

When she sees the pair of them coming down the stairs toward her, the Morrigan's eyebrows rise in amused query as she saw Norris coming down the stairs behind them, the dark fae leader says, "I send you for the one Mesmer, and you bring me back two play things and one of them is a succubus. An untouched succubus at that."

"Hate to tell you this but the untouched part is inaccurate, I can give you an abridged list of my partners if you like," Bo said in a snaky tone as she glared at the older fae woman. Instead of a glare the older woman began to laugh in true amusement.

Vex squeezes her arm warningly before he leans in and in an undertone explains, "When she says untouched she's talking about your skin being untouched by whip or scourge succubae."

Bo actually turns just slightly pink and gets angry as she remembers what those particular instruments were used to do to Vex. Because of the surprisingly strong grip that the Mesmer had on her arm though she managed just barely to keep her mouth shut.

"I have a job for you and as it happens the addition of the succubus is an opportune one." the Morrigan says as she went to sit in an unusually elegant chair for the location. Even as Bo thinks about where they are she starts looking around and notices the fresh blood and various implements of torture on a nearby table that clearly have been used and are hopefully awaiting a good cleaning and sterilization.

Vex though keeps his focus as he says in a clearly hostile tone. "You've broken your own rules too many times in the past few days Evony. I am the evidence of that, lover."

A flash of anger goes through the Morrigan's eyes as the Mesmer addresses her with her real name in front of the other fae. "You've never complained about that before Vex dear."

She said and there seemed to be an almost warning in her tone as she spoke. A warning that the dark fae who held the succubus arm chose very deliberately to ignore. "Not that you ever paid any attention to you mean. Including within the past twenty four hours, Evony dear."

"You dare to question your mistress?" she said sharply her eyes now flashing at the Mesmer.

"You were my lover first Evony, my mistress second and now you will be neither." Vex said and his hand tightened painfully on the succubus arm almost painfully.

"What did you say?" and the look in her eyes was now clearly sparking with anger and hostility toward the pair.

"I release myself from you Evony. For reasons of not following your own rules, in the game. Rules that were agreed to by the both of us and that you have broken a multitude of times and in front of witnesses. You have broken and voided the contract we made between us. So now in front of witnesses I am ending the contract between us." he said and although his voice was firm. There were hints of sadness, and anger in his voice.

She shrieks in rage and lunges at the Mesmer only to have a staff suddenly appeared in front of her face. "How dare you resist me in my own dungeon," and her usually beautiful voice is now nothing more than a screech as she says this.

"Norris take her, I want her on the cross for defying me." Evony demands as she turns to the table to choose her next toy to use.

"No." Norris says flatly.

"Excuse me," the Morrigan says over her shoulder, not really believing her ears.

"You will have to deal with them as normal people as they are not your slaves and they have already given me their safe words. As long as they are in **MY** dungeon." Norris said placidly. "If you persist in breaking the rules of this dungeon, it will be you on the rack."

The Morrigan actually turned and faced the other woman in shock. Then pushing her temper aside with a great deal of effort as she thought about her only remaining relative she said, "Very well, all will be forgiven if you go and save a certain human for me."

"Why? What does this human mean to you?" Vex asked suspiciously.

"None of your concern Mesmer," the Morrigan said dismissively. "A bunch of Alpha werewolves are attacking the little hamlet where he lives and I want him saved. If you can save the rest of those in the town from the savages more power to you." She looked at Bo with a smirk as she added, "Perhaps you could take your little human friend as bait, if nothing else."

"And where is this supposed to be taking place?" Bo asked a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at the timing. "Too convenient," as the dark fae leader looked at her with an amused gaze. As if she knew she had already won the argument.

"The name of the town is Beacon Hills."

 **~O~**

The Sheriff questioned the teens, starting with Issac and Cora. Although Issac would have liked to say the Alpha Twin was responsible, and Cora would probably have said that Allison was. The pair were both honest in their determinations. Issac reasoned, "Ethan is smart enough not to hang around if he'd actually had anything to do with the murders."

Cora also admits, "Allison actually came running up after the two of us so she couldn't really be a likely suspect either."

Decaulion comes up complete with the other two members of his Pack. Almost immediately he tries to shift blame to Cora, Issac and Allison.

The blind Alpha explains, "I'm afraid that this is clearly a situation from school that has escalated out of hand. This group of delinquents has had it in for my young wards almost since we arrived. A rivalry over some girl I imagine," he said glaring disdainfully in the direction of Cora and Allison.

Ethan tells the truth though much to his Pack's consternation. "None of them could have had anything to do with it as they came running up after me. I probably wouldn't have even noticed the smell. I'm usually pretty fast and would have blown right by it. Had to stop and tie my shoes though and that's when I noticed it. The smell I mean." Decaulion stares in the direction of the teen rather petulantly, the Sheriff gives him a small smile of approval though.

Allison's father walks up then explaining, that he heard about the incident on his scanner and about his daughters involvement and was concerned for her.

He is surprised at the unusually cool reception from the Sheriff, as they usually have a rather cordial working relationship, Allison tries to signal him of something with her eyes and then begins trying to signal him about Stiles warning, unsuccessfully unfortunately.

Actually they haven't spoken much at all in the past few days. The Sheriff actually asks both Chris and Decaulion, "Gentlemen I need to know your whereabouts for the past twenty four hours," he looks over at Kali and Aiden and the two of you as well."

Decaulion began in an offended tone, "Sheriff are you implying that we might be suspects…"

"I am." the Sheriff replies baldly, "Unless you have an alibi you're coming with me. And by the way three suspects trying to alibi each other isn't an alibi. For all intents and purposes they're the newest arrivals in town and the murders started at about the same time that you arrived in town. Hell of a coincidence don't you think."

As an excuse for arresting the trio it's totally legitimate and simple in its elegance. Argent is impressed and yet more than a little shocked and caught flatfooted to be lumped in with the others. Especially since he was actually out hunting last night and can't exactly tell the Sheriff that.

The Sheriff hauls them all in and makes a big demonstration of putting the three Alphas together in one cell and Argent in the other. As soon as his deputies left the holding area though, the Sheriff knelt in front of the door that held the Alpha trio and snapped his fingers. A row of mountain ash flashed across the area in front of the cell door. Snapping a barrier into place in front of the werewolves and Argent. The group is rather gob smacked when the Sheriff stands and they see something almost predatory in his gaze as he tells them.

"I think that should keep you where I put you, for the time being. The law says that I can hold you for seventy two hours on suspicion. I'm thinking if someone comes forward and tells me about oh I don't know kidnapping, torture, something like that I can keep the lot of you here indefinitely.

"So you don't think we had anything to do with the deaths in the woods?" Chris Argent said as he watched the other man with a new sense of respect and perhaps a tinge of fear.

"OH I didn't say that, since it was my son you and your family kidnapped and tortured along with two of his classmates." And then looking at the Alphas with something almost unholy in his eyes he adds, "Not to mention the three teens that you lot kidnapped, including a young woman who is lying in a coma in the hospital right now, and one recovering from being poisoned," he said looking at the trio of werewolves, "I'd be thinking real hard about what the next actions you take are."

Decaulion looked at the older man and said, "You know the rules, you can't risk exposing the fae…,"

Realizing what he's said the Alpha looks around but the Sheriff moved closer to the bars and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not fae and you're staying right here as long as I can hold you."

The Sheriff walked away, but he didn't really believe any of them had anything to do with the deaths in the woods. He was sure his son and the others were right about that. Which of course leaves the Sheriff with the same problem as before, no suspect with the added problem of more bodies in the morgue.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N~ Thank you all for your patience during this difficult time for me and also for being so kind in your reviews. I'm glad everyone is enjoying this piece and hope you will continue to do so. Please continue to enjoy and review. Keep that feedback coming andI am not averse to treats for those who are interested in sending some via the internet. "Wink" ~A**

 **Chapter 19**

Lydia focused on the work she was doing. Mr. Hunt, the school's new principal is a man of limited intelligence, in her humble opinion. In truth she's not really sure how he got the job, because she actually had to explain to the man in detail, what the Fields Medal was.

To his credit though he was letting her use the Math Lab to work on her extra-curricular project so she couldn't exactly speak too badly of him. Lydia knew it was late, her Mom, even though she knew where Lydia was had already called her daughter three times. The teen was determined to finish at least this part of the equation to her satisfaction before she left this evening.

She is truly determined to get the Fields Medal before she even gets into college. Lydia is focused on what she's working on. The shadowy figure slips into the lab easily without being detected.

The strawberry blond doesn't even sense the intruder until she feels the urge to scream. A garrote is wrapped around her throat and as it begins to tighten she hears an ancient guttural language fall from the woman's lips and she does recognize that her attacker is a woman. As she sees the other woman raise the dagger Lydia manages to get enough breath into her lungs to scream. The banshees shriek is enough to have the woman forget the garotte and cover her ears. Lydia jumps up but before she can turn to face her attacker the other woman runs out of the lab. Lydia falls to her knees, as she reaches up to pull the wire away from her throat and as soon as she is able she screams again. Then calls the police.

The deputy who comes to take her statement apparently was ready to write off the attack as teenage hormones and histrionics. His words not Lydia's, and was practically accusing the teen of self inflicting the wounds on her neck to get attention.

Until the EMT's, told the Deputy, "You're an idiot man, and yes you can tell your boss I said so. This girl has a gash about ¼ inch deep around her neck. How she's not bleeding to death I don't know, She's just incredibly lucky to have a deep running carotid. The gash is more than three quarters of the way around her neck There is no way in hell that wound is self-inflicted and the fact you didn't even notice that just shows what an idiot you are. Especially since the evidence is still sitting on the floor right there and you haven't even tried to mark it or collect it." The man said indicating the aforementioned weapon with his pen as he continued to write up the incident for his own records.

The deputy looking decidedly disgruntled snaps on a pair of gloves and lifts the garrote with his pen before dropping it in an evidence bag. The EMT beside her mutters under his breath so that only Lydia can hear. "Should have photographed it, beforehand. Like I said before, what an idiot. Sheriff's going to have a coronary."

 **~O~**

Kenzi had her arms wrapped around Dyson's torso as she let him take control. The rumbling and vibration between her thighs were exciting and new. When he had told hardhearted to take her to the Moon she had no idea he had meant the Luna Café on the outskirts of Beacon Hills. This was a new place that Stiles had apparently mentioned to Dyson in passing. Since they still were concerned about kidnapping from both the Argents and the Alpha Pack The older werewolf had hoped this far out of the way would be safe enough for the equivalent of their first date.

Kenzi could say a great many things about the teen, that he didn't know junk food would be the farthest one from the truth. So it was they found themselves in the parking lot of the Luna Café.

They arrive with a jangle of bells at the door, a quiet flare as the fifties song playing over the speakers reached its crescendo and petered out. It was cute and kind of kitschy without being too overbearing.'

"So do we want to sit up front where the action is, take a table to people watch or booth for canoodling?" Kenzi asked as she looked around at the surroundings.

"Canoodling? I'm centuries old and to my knowledge I have never used that word in any type of sentence." Dyson advised as he looked around and saw a small family of four heading to the cash register to pay their bill, thus freeing up one of the booths.

He clasped Kenzi's hand and managed to maneuver them through the restaurant to the back booth. Just as they slid into the unoccupied seats, the cook came out of the kitchen. She was a fifty something year old woman with iron grey hair who addressed the patrons as she said, "Sorry folks need to take a few minutes personal time with my future lung cancer," she said as she held up a pack of cigarettes and said, "I'll be back in just a few minutes."

After getting cups of coffee from the waitress the pair sit and talk about the future, as in after they get rid of the Alpha Pack and whatever is making the sacrifices. Kenzi explains that while she enjoys visiting her family. There are still a lot of painful memories here of losing her family and Pack. That Beacon Hills is its own kind of crazy even without the fae involvement.

"I'm ready to go home right now or as soon after we get rid of the Alpha Pack..and what did you say you think this mass murderer thing was?"

"A darach, a dark druid if you will. Instead of working with nature, they seek to gain power from nature by making deals usually with blood sacrifices. The virgins were to open negotiations so to speak. The rest are usually a more personal thing between the darach and whatever nature entity its making the deal with."

It could be anything from a powerful fae, to a band of brownies although they don't usually deal with darachs anymore. They usually end up with the short end of the stick, so to speak in the dealing. My money is on your Nemeton though."

"Except the Nemeton was destroyed or at least seriously weakened when it was cut down by some idiots." Kenzi said shrugging her head as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and leaned closer.

"Yes, and has anyone heard anymore from those idiots since then?" Dyson asked raising an eyebrow questioningly at the young woman.

Kenzi thought about that as her eyes gradually widened, her voice so high it almost squeaked as she asked, "Are you telling me the Nemeton has been alive and well and what…in hibernation this whole time?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," he told her as he drained the last of his coffee. He looked around to see if he could get a refill only to find the waitress at the register, ringing up someone's bill. She looked very frazzled and that's when they noticed the smell of burning food and realized just how long it had been since the cook had left. They also became aware that several of the customers were muttering in irritation around them.

Kenzi leapt to her feet and hissed softly, "You try and find the cook, I'll try to avoid the Food Mutiny that's about to happen here."

Kenzi grabbed the two coffee pots and worked her way around the restaurant offering refills to the patrons. Before heading behind the counter to try and find an apron as she said to the waitress. "I'll cook you serve and try and keep things going out here, Yeah?" At the girls grateful nod Kenzi headed into the back and found she had to toss everything and start from scratch.

"So much for a quiet night with my guy," she paused as she realized Dyson was hers, he was her guy. She put some fresh patties on the grill and dropped some fires before she got too caught up in those thoughts and lost track of time and had to start the whole thing over again.

Dyson went outside to see if he could find the cook, while he felt a slight pang of worry for leaving Kenzi alone in this situation, he also knew Kenzi, if she said she would handle something she usually did.

Although the werewolf usually enjoyed the scent of a good pipe tobacco, his sensitive nose didn't tolerate cigars well. No matter how fine a quality and cigarettes even less so. He scented the air though and his sensitive nose soon led him to a still smoking, half-burned cigarette laying on the ground. There were signs of a scuffle and a splatter of blood on the ground. Dyson tried to track the marks left by the cook and her attacker but the trail disappeared after about fifty feet. He didn't lose the trail it literally did just disappear into thin air.

"Kenzi isn't going to like this," he thought as he pulled out his phone and called 911. While he headed back to the café while waiting to be connected to a deputy.

 **~O~**

Later when the rest of the Pack comes to see her, she tells them what happened.

As a group they talk about what has been happening. "My question is why is it escalating, and the killer is getting more bold. I mean Lydia was alone at the high school yeah but the café? It may not have been full but there were still quite a lot of customers coming and going." the young Beta said as she leaned against her mates lean frame, "I mean we're going to assume the cook is one of the victims even if we haven't found the body yet, right? Plus the waitress said the cook had some military training so that just adds to the level of difficulty, so why now?"

Scott agreed and wondered out loud, "Why does it seems to be escalating? Is there maybe some truly fucked up timeline to the whole thing?"

Dyson replies, "I think I may know the answer to that. In the next few weeks a lunar eclipse is coming up. It wasn't obvious at first I think I may recognize the ritualistic way the bodies have been killed and positioned as a perverted variation of a Druidic ritual, outlawed centuries ago."

He adds, "I think the lunar eclipse is their midnight for Cinderella. So they are running out of time, I still haven't figured out the pattern though." He says as he runs the victims through his mind once again.

"Pattern?" Derek asked.

"Druids even the dark ones, believe very strongly in patterns," Stiles explains. "The seasons, the moon, all the patterns of nature, the sacrifices are in a pattern, one this Druid chose for a reason. One specific to herself." Stiles continued his own eyes distant. "There are the virgins and I think we should add the soldiers or warriors to that since it's a rather strong theme to the Celts."

"Genius's are a new thing though. Clearly not about Lydia being a supernatural otherwise whoever she is wouldn't have been frightened off by her scream." Derek added.

"Not genius, a sage, scholar, or philosopher," Peter clarified as he handed the young woman a glass of water and a couple of painkillers she had refused the stronger meds as she didn't want to be loopy and out of it. So despite her mothers protests, it was nothing stronger than extra strength pain killers.

"This reminds me of something, I have to look it up though," Stiles said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Either way, when the eclipse happens they have to have collected all of the bodies and gained all of the power they needed from them, in theory. The question is which deity or entity they've made this deal with?"

"Does it really matter?" Lydia asked, "So this Druid woman whatever she has planned, will happen on the lunar eclipse. Great. So we wait till then and you guys go get her." Lydia says marks still prominent on her throat, and her voice obviously straining..

The werewolves at least the older ones all look at each other and shift uncomfortably, "Not that easy Lydia," Kenzi replied finally, "The wolf power is still closely aligned to the moon and during a lunar eclipse the werewolves will all be at their weakest."

"Shit," Lydia said with feeling.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N~ So thank you again for everything. My uploads may continue to be sporadic but I'm going to try and keep them at least weekly. Encouragement is always appreciated folks and criticism is read swell but not always followed. Please continue to read, enjoy, and review. ~A**

 **Chapter 20**

The Darach glanced up at the fridge to see her grocery list and nearly shrieked in horror. Her voice caught in her throat as she realized what she was seeing in the stainless steel surface of the refrigerator was her own true reflection.

She drew a deep breath and strengthened the glamour, so that now the reflection looked more like the surface mask she showed to the public. It took more energy she was trying to conserve, she would need it in the coming battle facing the Alpha Pack and possibly the Hale Pack. She hadn't counted on the young Alpha being able to resist her charms.

That had forced her to change her plans but when this was all over and Kali and her fellow Pack members were dead and she was able to focus more of her energies on the matter. She really did want to investigate his apparently innate resistance to her magic.

She needed to find at least two more healers, more warriors and more sages. The loss of the Martin girl did make thinks a little uneven right now and the fact the warrior last night had fought so hard had been a blow to her ego. She knew what a banshee was, she just hadn't really anticipated running into one here in Beacon Hills.

She had barely managed to escape before the girls scream had shattered the illusion of her appearance or before the girl had actually seen her face. Jennifer realized that she was becoming almost reckless as the time of the eclipse grew closer. What else could she do though, she was running out of time. Even now when she was working to maintain her glamour she was also jittering in place with a keen need to track down her next victim.

She actually had an idea for the next victim. Like Lydia it was a little closer to home, or in this case her work than was probably a good idea but she was desperate and he would kill two birds with one stone. A warrior and a philosopher, all in one. Then she would send her little minions in search of her next target, or targets. At least no one had figured out what she was doing yet. If they ever recognized the pattern realizing who or what she was would probably follow soon after. She wasn't stupid, just desperate at this point.

With that final thought the Darach took the grocery list off the fridge and Jennifer Blake went shopping for groceries. Later that night she would go shopping for her next victim.

 **~O~**

With a little hint of panic he called Scott and only got his voice mail. He then tried to call Melissa and only got her voice mail as well. Usually Mama McCall would answer knowing that Stiles only calls when he has a medical question, or needs some advice or needs to vent about Scott or… Okay maybe he called a lot. Plus she still hadn't exactly forgiven him about his rant over the hospitals security measures.

Now wasn't the time for resentment though it was the time to get hold of Mama McCall and do their best to keep their de facto mom safe. Although it was frowned upon he tried calling the hospital directly, only to be told by the receptionist that the staff weren't allowed personal calls on the direct line. A last ditch effort has him calling Scott again. When the cheery drone of his voice mail message came on the line again, the Spark lost his temper.

The only thing that saved his phone from hitting the wall and either putting a hole in it or shattering on impact was an Alpha who had crawled through his bedroom window and caught the device mid-air. "Just because you're having a disconnect day from social media is no reason to abuse the equipment," Derek said with an adorably shy grin.

"This from the guy who still thinks howling is the best way to get hold of everyone," Stiles said back and felt as if a ton of weight had suddenly shifted from his shoulders. "So how's Erica?"

"Doing much better actually. They're talking about letting her go in the next day or so after they get her set up with a little physical therapy to build her muscles back up. She and Boyd are both very happy about it," Derek said as he very carefully and deliberately put the phone down on the night stand. A few steps away from the Spark who simply gave him a look of dry humor.

"That's great. Although knowing werewolf healing, she probably won't need it. Still it should give her a little bit of re-education in control. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing." he said thoughtfully. Then added in realization, "Hey you didn't happen to see Ms. McCall while you were at the hospital did you?"

"Actually I did, she still hasn't forgiven you, huh?" Asked the Alpha raising a single eyebrow at the other young man.

"No, which is really annoying when you consider the new security service basically told her the same things and then some." Stiles said in a frustrated tone, then gave the green eyes werewolf a glare when the smile he was giving Stiles took on a mock horrified expression.

"Please tell me you didn't actually bring up the new teams findings when you spoke to her last?" Derek asked in amused horror.

"Well yeah, why?" the teen asked and Derek just shook his head.

"Remind me to have a talk with you about diplomacy some time….On second thought I'll see if Kenzi can do it instead. Anyway yeah I saw Ms. McCall her shift was just ending. You can probably catch her at home in just a few minutes I'd imagine." he said as he moved forward into the younger man's space.

Stiles snuggled into his arms easily and said softly, "Thanks, that does take a load off of my mind."

Derek frowned as he asked, "Why, are you still worried? She'll get over it soon enough. You know that, you know she loves you."

Reassured the Spark said, "No, no. It's not that, its just I've been doing more research on Druids and the elements and so forth and one of the groups that they revere. Other than warriors and scholars are healers, and since Melissa is…."

Derek is already moving back to the window, "Call Scott see if she'll answer him." he advised.

"I've already been doing that," Stiles informed his boyfriend desperately before the Alpha made it to the window and disappeared. "He's not answering either."

"Call everyone else." Derek said shortly the need to move, to do something like ants crawling under his skin, stinging him trying to get him moving.

"Derek it's probably nothing." the Spark said in a self-deprecating tone.

The werewolf took a moment to reassure his mate. "You're a Spark, Stiles. You have insights, you need to respect them. Besides you haven't been wrong so far. I'm more than willing to give you the benefit of the doubt in this and I'm not going to risk anyone in this pack for anyone who doubts you or isn't willing to listen to you in this." he said before he kissed Stiles thoroughly holding the back of his head gently as he plundered his lips. Then the Alpha practically dived out of the window to try and track down the missing nurse.

 **~O~**

Erica and Boyd practicing fighting out in the open right behind a brick structure either her home or his apartment. They're going slow but its obvious that Erica is straining at the bit and keeps trying to fight harder and faster, more werewolf like. Boyd is trying to stick to the guidelines laid down by both Stiles and Mrs. McCall.

When Erica became frustrated and came at him with claws extended, Boyd caught her by the wrists and held her in place. Which only seemed to frustrate her more as she screamed, "Why is everyone treating me like some fragile little thing? I'm a werewolf."

"Yeah who was in a coma for several weeks, after being near death for a while in a broom closet. Even our Alpha couldn't hear your heartbeat Erica." Boyd said in a low voice as he shook her just a bit to get the message across before releasing her as he continued.

"We were kidnapped and held in a bank vault for several months and before that, we were kidnapped again and tortured after being so full of arrows we looked like that knight from the Monty Python shows." The blond laughed which was the intention but he didn't stop there. "I came this close to losing you," he said seriously, while holding his thumb and forefinger so close together you couldn't tell they weren't touching. "I'd rather not go through that again for a while. So sorry but for a while you're going to have to get used to the over-protective boyfriend looming around. Okay?"

She burrowed her face into his throat and letterman's jacket, scenting him as she practically purred her affirmative. Then the pair walked back inside, unaware of the beady eyes that followed them. They had potential but even she knew better than to try and take the two werewolves on.

She had other targets to take, these though would be her final sacrifices. Ones she would hold on to in order to keep this wolf pack in line until she could eliminate the Alphas. They were her main goal, especially Decaulion and Kali. She trudged off toward the Sheriff station, her next targets were there.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N~ Rated T for sexual innuendo, nudity and possibly language. As promised nothing overt and no frontal nudity involved here Also please be aware that the next set of chapter may be a little late. I'll do my best though. Please continue to read, enjoy and review. Oh yes and there will be Vex and Bo ahead. ~A**

 **Chapter 21**

Kenzi paced back and forth in front of the windows in the loft. She was wearing one of Dyson's shirts and not much else. Her hair was slightly tousled and her eye makeup was slightly smudged. Not that anyone was there to see. Her brother was missing at the moment. Spending time with Stiles she hoped and she had no idea where her Uncle Peter was and wasn't sure she wanted to know, to tell the truth.

Cora had agreed to a sleepover with the Banshee. Although in her own humble opinion the girls had nothing in common, they seem to have bonded though. Cora was hopeful of teaching the Banshee not only how to kick ass on her own but to eventually use her scream as an actual directed sonic weapon. Lydia for her part was hopeful of teaching the other teen something about fashion and style. and while an odd friendship, it was a developing one. Which was more than Cora'd had before, and Kenzi was happy for her sister.

As for Dyson, he was recuperating from their latest romp in the hay. So to speak. The Goth werewolf could be proud enough to say she had not only worn her mate out but had also put some pretty impressive marks on him. "Well," she thought, "it was only fair as he'd put a few on her," No biting yet. That would come later in the relationship but before they "outed" themselves to the fae so to speak.

She wasn't sure if with the ever increasing danger she was just extra sensitive to her surroundings or she was just hypersensitive to her mate. Ok that was just her independence kicking in a bit she had a feeling she would know where Dyson was at any moment from now on. His feet shuffled closer and she felt the extra warmth as his bare arms wrapped around enclosing her in his embrace.

"I woke up cold," he admonished gently.

She patted his arm and her gentle fingers were cool in comparison, "I doubt that." she said amused.

"Ok, I woke up lonely and for a split second thought you might have come to your senses." the werewolf said as he pulled her closer and she suddenly realized her lover was completely naked and not cold at all.

"If this is you cold and lonely, I think we have a lot to discuss horizontally speaking." she laughed in a husky way.

"Is this where I say it will indeed be a long conversation?" Dyson said and while he liked his sexual innuendo the Goth laughed at him for several seconds, before subsiding into a smiling contented young woman that made the older werewolf very happy.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he asked his deep voice rumbling into the top of her head, where his chin rested.

Actually I was thinking about the future, which considering what's been going on might be a little premature." she said in a self deprecating way.

"I like that you're thinking about the future. Besides I think that you're brother and Stiles are together and you and I are together it just improved our odds of survival exponentially." Dyson said reassuringly.

"It did until I found you standing naked with my little sister in the middle of my loft." Derek said as he came out of the shadows , red eyes glowing and face partially shifted.

Although Dyson stepped back, Kenzi caught his hand before he could get out of reach and turned to face her brother, "Derek Hale perhaps its escaped your notice but I did come of age a while ago. So stop acting like your our mother catching us smoking out behind the root cellar."

"Secondly, don't talk to me about inappropriate nudity when you've probably just been doing the same thing with Stiles," then she saw her brothers blush even through his Alpha face and said, "Oh that's so adorable. Details, I want details."

Dyson sighed in a relieved fashion, crisis averted, as his mate dragged her brother off for what he was sure would be a highly embarrassing comparison of the two couples.

 **~O~**

As Vex and Bo drove past the city limits sign into Beacon Hills they both realized at the same moment that they had no idea where they were going except to get to the town.. The Morrigan was long on instructions of what to do once they got there. Namely save a young man by the nickname of Stiles Stilinski from the deadly intentions of a pack of werewolves who called themselves the Alpha Pack by any means necessary. Great instructions, simple, direct, having zero context in how to achieve this goal. It was still the most positive interaction either of them had ever had with the Morrigan.

Then came the instructions about what they couldn't do. They couldn't tell Stiles Stilinski why they were there. Couldn't mention the Morrigan at all to either him or his father. Who they gathered was in law enforcement but the Morrigan wasn't sure of anything else about him. Couldn't enlighten him about the fae and/or supernatural world. As a matter of fact if they could accomplish the goal of dissuading or destroying the Alpha Pack without ever interacting with Stiles that would suit Evony just fine.

There were other things but nothing even remotely resembling a plan, no real information on the Alpha Pack, or even any idea of how to find the teen they were supposed to be keeping safe.

So the pair now found themselves driving into Beacon Hills in Vex's fancy car, with no idea of where to go or what to do next. "Should we go to the Sheriff's station maybe?" The succubus suggested as they drove long the streets rather late at night. Most of the rather small town closed up for the night already. There was one 24 hour market and a few 24 hour cafes that were open this late and at least one gas station that was also still operating.

"She, didn't want us to alert the father to our presence and I think that rolling up on the Sheriff's department looking for his son would probably do just that succubus." Vex said from the passenger seat. He had been petulant about having to let Bo drive his fancy car. Even he had to admit that he was too weak, too stiff and too tired to try and drive the powerful car at the moment,

Then they drove past a bar, and Vex grabbed the wheel and turned into the parking lot. "Vex what.." yelled the succubus as she regained control of the vehicle and slid rather ungracefully but safely into a parking spot "What the hell are you doing?" Then looking out she realized where they were and looked at the Mesmer with an unimpressed expression as she said, "Vex, the last thing you need in your condition is a drink."

"Why Bo I didn't know you cared," he said with a saccharine sweet smile before adding, "I'm fine, besides its not like I'm pregnant or anything succubabe and a little libation might be just what I need to work the kinks out after the long trip."

Despite his reassurances the usually lithe dark fae struggled to get out of the low slung vehicle, wincing every now and again as he stood up straight. In a lower tone he added, "Besides bars are the heart of a towns gossip. Everyone knows who's boffing who's husband or sister, who got passed over for promotion and where better to find out who's new in town and where they might be staying and what naughtiness the LEO's son is getting into that might attract the unwanted attention of the Alpha Pack, in the first place."

He held out his arm to the unaligned fae as they got to the door, "Why else do you think I have the Carpe Noct, and with your beauty and my charm and both of our influences in this place. We'll strip them dry of information I'd imagine before the bar even closes for the evening." he said as he guided her through the door. The pair paid the cover charge and headed into the bar proper, that was known as the Blue."

 **~O~**

Allison was waiting for her father in the middle of the Sheriff's station when he was brought out of holding. "You know I kind of expected this to happen at sometime you and I being in a Sheriffs station together at some point in my life. I just always expected it to be me who was the one in jail. You know out past curfew, caught drinking while a minor, possibly a public indecency charge because I was making out with my boyfriend in the back of his car or something like that. Never expected or wanted it to be me bailing my dad out because he was suspected of murder." She said her arms crossed and glaring at her father, and while her tone was rather light and mocking the expression on her face was decidedly not either of those things.

Not meeting her eyes, Chris asked, the least important question first in Allison's opinion, "Bailed, me out, how did you bail me out?"

"Didn't exactly. More like proved you weren't involved in the murders and/or kidnappings since they were still happening while you were locked up, Or rather the Pack did, although I'm sure they would have liked to keep you all locked up for the time being." Allison explained and then paused as the three werewolves were also brought out by several deputies, including Deputy Jordan Parrish.

"Only problem is it also proved they weren't involved in these crimes either. Not that they weren't involved in criminal activity just not this." the archer said and there was more than a hint of disapproval in her voice as her eyes shifted between her father and the wolves.

Hearing her Kali lunged at her only to be surprisingly stopped dead by Parrish who not only grabbed the werewolf by the hair and put a nerve hold on the older woman before slamming her into the wall. He was slapping the mountain ash cuffs back on her when the hairs on the back of his neck rose and without turning he said, "You know it seems a shame to have to put you all back in jail for sheer stupidity when this lovely young lady just proved you weren't all murderous psychopaths."

"Perish the thought officer," Decaulion said in his best soothing tone as he watched the other man sit Kali down in a desk chair and when the woman acted like she was going to leap from the chair simply glared at the other woman and she froze in place.

"You're not lumping me in with them, are you?" The older man whispered to his daughter. It was a useless gesture to whisper, even with the ambient noise of the Sheriff's department, the officers talking with each other, the dispatcher, the typing up of the paperwork, and everything else, the werewolves would still be able to hear the whisper.

Allison looked at her father and this was not where she wanted to do this but it needed to be done. "No dad. You're worse. The wolves are doing this for survival or to protect those they care about, others are doing it for territory. Mom did it to kill Scott to keep him away from me. Not by any code I've ever heard of. Grandpa doesn't even pretend to follow the code and Kate doesn't even bear talking about. I still don't know where you stand in all this, Right now although I haven' exactly been showing it I stand with the Pack, my Pack. Maybe when this is all over I'll know a little better where you stand and how we can proceed from here." She said as she reached up and kissed him on the cheek, before leaving the Sheriff's office.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N~ Suspension of disbelief alert. One- Scott is going after his mom to pick her up from work, when it had been established earlier that Derek had seen her leaving the hospital presumably going home from work. For the sake of storyline argument we're going to say that Scott figures his mom's car didn't work and her phone is dead. So being the good son he went to pick her up, help her with the car… Please return to your regularly scheduled programming. ~A**

 **Chapter 22**

The next day Derek and Issac are in the Loft. The light streaming in the windows would be blinding if it weren't for the fact the windows were filthy. The pair were having a serious discussion about who in the Pack the young Beta trusted, and why. Issac stared at his Alpha with a slightly confused expression as he asked, "Why are you asking me? I always figured the Alpha's had an instinct for this sort of thing."

"You have experienced more hardship than almost anyone else in the Pack," Derek explained, "And the kinds of things you endured if they don't destroy you, have a tendency to give you incredible insights into which people are trustworthy and where the danger will be coming from in certain situations. So who in the Pack do you trust and why?"

When he surprisingly says instantaneously, "Stiles, Allison and Scott," the Alpha had to ask, "Why?" and with well hidden hostility, "Especially, why he would trust Allison?"

The Beta explains, "She has something to prove now, she messed up, she knows it. Now she has to prove to herself and everybody else that she's not that person, that she's nothing like her aunt or the rest of her family." He explained in his best clinical, logical tone, Then he added with a deadpan expression, "Plus she's really hot."

To his credit Derek's mouth did not hang open but the expression on his face of surprise and consternation, had Issac snort in laughter before explaining in another dead pan delivery, "What? I may be a werewolf but I'm also a teenager, the hormones are still raging."

The Alpha suddenly roared with laughter, as the Beta stared at him with a small smile before Derek's phone rang. Derek glanced at the screen on his phone and smiled as he answered, "Were your ears burning McCall? We were just talking about you."

The smile fell as the Beta spoke on the other end of the call. "Where?" Again a brief pause as the other young man spoke. "We'll be there in a few minutes. Don't leave him alone."

At Issac's questioning look the Alpha grabbed his jacket and said, "Stiles was in an accident, he's in the hospital."

 **~O~**

That same day; Allison woke up to discover her father never actually came home the night before. She tries his cell phone and his beeper only getting his voice mail. Then she used an app on her phone to track her fathers phone, only to discover that he apparently never left the Sheriff's department.

Getting a little desperate with worry the teen drives back over to the Sheriffs Department. She remembers the deputy who seemed not only to be in the know about werewolves but more than capable of handling even an Alpha like Kali. Which is more than most professionally trained Hunters could take on alone.

She finds the deputy alone in the squad room filling out paperwork. When she asked the young man what he was still doing there. Jordan explained, "We're a bit shorthanded right now and most of the other deputies have families." he said with a shrug. "Really I'm one of only two of the deputies that don't have a family. Anyway what can I do for you, Ms. Argent?"

"My dad, never made it home last night. Normally I wouldn't be worried, but considering the other group that was here, especially the woman and the other crazy who's running around, killing people… I have to admit to being very worried. I know there's nothing that you can technically do for the first 24 hours but do you have like video surveillance or something to show whether he actually left last night."

"Yeah just a second," Parrish said as he got up and went and collected a couple of files. One Allison saw had her father name at the top. The other was a thin notebook and the deputy looked at that one first. He located a code and began typing from the notebook directly into his computer and a quad view display of what appeared to be the impound yard behind the department was displayed and sitting there among several other vehicles including a few small boats and ATV's was her fathers SUV.

Now even more concerned the deputy pulled a chair up beside himself and had Allison sit beside him as he opened her fathers file and looked for the release time from the file. He explained as he searched through the same thin notebook, and put several codes in.

"We've been trying to get an upgrade to the system for months but the town fathers are reluctant to loosen the purse strings." the deputy explained absently as he continued to concentrate on his computer skills, "We have pretty good coverage on the impound yard because of the danger of theft and inside the building for security but around the outside is spotty at best."

The young man stopped talking as he pulled up video that was a couple of minutes prior to his listed release time. After a moment or two it showed a sober looking Chris Argent leaving the police station, seemingly unconcerned. Another angle showed him heading around the side of the building undoubtedly heading for the impound yard and his SUV. The computer then shifted back to the view of the fenced in yard, only her father never appeared. He had never made it back that far.

A few minutes later it showed Decaulion and one of the Alpha Twins heading outside with the other Alpha Twin picking the pair up in a nondescript sedan in front of the building. Which was a small relief, not only was Kali still locked up but the Alphas were apparently not involved in her fathers apparent disappearance.

Although she was fairly sure he wasn't supposed to leave the phones unmanned, the Deputy came out to the side of the building her father was last seen walking around. She tried his phone again a little desperately. They hear its faint chirp and after a couple of minutes of redialing and searching, they discover his phone about a hundred yards from the Sheriff's Dept. in shrubbery nearby. About that time it comes over the radio that EMT's have been called and are transporting a teen identified as the Sheriff's son to the hospital. Apparently he's been in an auto accident.

 **~O~**

Derek, Issac, Kenzi, and Dyson are at the hospital. As well as Scott and strangely enough Allison. Scott is clearly agitated and pacing back and forth in the waiting area. It is only when Derek gets in front of him that the others realize the young Beta's eyes are glowing golden. The Alpha convinces Scott to tell them what happened in the hopes that talking about it will calm the teen down a bit.

Scott takes a deep breath and explains, "I found Stiles on my way to pick up my mom from work. Stiles Jeep had been flipped on its side, and he was laying on the road a few feet away. I'm not sure if he was thrown clear or managed to crawl out of the wreckage. He was unconscious when I got there and he didn't wake up on the way to the hospital."

"I…my mom will skin me when she finds out I moved him, and the Sheriff will have a cow that I disturbed a site of a traffic accident. But I had left my phone at home and I couldn't find his and I couldn't just wait for someone to pass by. Not on that road. So I just flipped the Jeep back up and stuck my bike in the back and drove him here." He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed before opening them to reveal his own dark colored eyes.

He continued, "They say he has some fractured ribs and a concussion, nothing too serious. Only thing is I haven't been able to find my mom. Stiles dad isn't answering my many attempts to get hold of him, and Stiles is going to freak out when he hears about it. His dad has been his whole life and still is mostly."

Derek nods and reassured the Beta, "I'll take care of it." Before heading down the hall towards the nurses station.

 **A/N/N~ In hindsight did anyone else ever get the creepy feeling when they said that last line from my previous note that you were the one being programmed and they were telling you to get back to being programmed? Just me? Oh well, please return… uhh, yeah never mind. ~A**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N~ So for my fellow hurricane survivors, congratulations. For those who may have suffered a loss, my sincerest sympathies. I wrestled with posting this, wasn't able to during and directly after the storms. Of course. Now the power is back up finally and internet while still spotty is working in places. Hope you are all safe and secure wherever you may be and that this offering brings you a little joy. ~A**

 **Chapter 23**

Bo and Vex are walking out of the bar several hours later. Quite a bit of information collected between them. Vex in his still not quite recovered state is tipsy more from exhaustion than alcohol, which was to be fair to the dark fae, a very generous amount. Bo had avoided two drinks that had been dosed, and an overabundance of alcoholic beverages that came with more than alcohol attached, supporting him as they walk to the car.

They are trying to walk/stumble and talk on the way to Vex's little sports car, when they are accosted by a trio of bar patrons. "Remember me darlin?" He had a good voice, deep and rather seductive, too bad it was attached to such an unattractive human being. Not that he was ugly, but he was one of the ones who'd tried to dose her, that lowered anyone's charisma as far as Bo was concerned.

"Yeah I do, you're one of the ones who sent me a Roophy this evening. Right?" the succubus responded in a honey sweet tone mockingly.

"Yeah," he said and Bo recognized the entitled tone in his voice that said he was expecting her to fall over legs spread for him. For a split second she felt bad for the women of her adopted race. This one really shouldn't be allowed to reproduce, for the benefit of future generations. "Your boyfriend could watch he might learn something?"

Bp turned to Vex eyebrows raised, the Mesmer merely shrugged and said, "I was really hoping to get to bed and sleep off the results of the light cardio I've already had, but far be it from me to interfere in your calisthenics darlin." he said with a flourish as he offered to take her coat. The succubus slid off her leather jacket and made sure the dark fae was leaning comfortably against the sports car.

The trio then go after Bo hoping a bum rush of the pretty young thing will get them somewhere. It does eventually, in a hospital. After of course, Vex convinces them to forget the duo they had seen that evening.

 **~O~**

During class, Lydia suddenly recognizes Ms. Blake's voice and hands from when she was attacked. Nearly has a panic attack before she remembers what a bad ass she was, after all she had survived being attacked by this woman. She had actually fought off her attacker. She had survived. Now she just had to avenge the ones who hadn't been so lucky.

She cornered Scott between classes and explained what she had realized. It took some convincing , mostly because Scott was passing her knowledge off as at best PTSD and at worse simple jealousy, at those words Lydia slapped him hard. Yeah okay that probably had hurt her more than him but at least now he was listening. He even took the liberty of enlisting Deaton and the trio were taking their lunch break to search the teachers classroom. Their investigation was hampered by the fact they had no idea what they were looking for. The trio were arguing back and forth when Scott accidentally knocks some papers to the floor. Lydia hisses at him to hurry up and put the papers back.

"What the hell is an H?" Scott mutters aloud.

It's the letter between G and I?" Lydia snipes as she bends to help the werewolf collect the graded essays from the floor. Catching sight of her own name her eyes automatically go to the grade and she says aloud in a scandalized screech. "C? I have never gotten a C in my entire life in anything."

"Yeah well I've never gotten an H in anything. An F yeah even an I on a few occasions but never an H. What does that even mean?" Scott said holding the paper in question out to the other teen.

Deaton sensing they may be on to something gathers the rest of the papers and suggests they try putting the papers back the way they were. Luckily Ms. Blake had an A Type personality and everyone's papers were put together in alphabetical order. "Even I have to say I've never heard of an R as a grade." Deaton said as they were lining the pages up. Then he saw what the pages spelled and hustled the teens out of the room after putting the pages back in their original positions on the desk.

They had just ducked around the corner at the end of the hall before Ms Blake came back from lunch to her classroom to enjoy a few moments before her next class. Deaton continued to drag Scott and Lydia down the hall and outside of the building before he finally spoke, "She's a Darach. A dark druid. This explains a great deal. She's making these sacrifices to the Nemeton to gain power, power to do what is the question. It has to be a specific request, a specific intention. You have to imbue a spell with an intention or the magic becomes wild and uncontrollable."

"Maybe wild and uncontrollable is her intention," Lydia suggested a little nervously as she now looked around agitatedly, eyes suspicious.

Deaton gave a horrified look, at least for him it was horrified as he replied, "Why yes, thank you Lydia, the would be terrifying. Terrifying and unstoppable."

As the pair of Lydia and Scott are on their way out of school that day, they over hear the Alpha Twins talking. "He's not going to be happy that we haven't found anything," Aiden said to his brother.

"In case you haven't noticed he hasn't been happy with anything we've done in months." Ethan said with mild hostility as he switched out a few school books for some others out of his locker.

"I don't even know why he cares, it's not like anything this magic user or whatever has done has actively hurt us and if we get blamed for it, that can only improve our rep right?"

"Except the number one rule is don't bring attention, this thing is not being subtle or quiet. It's drawing a great big red neon sign in the sky saying LOOK Here. With a big red arrow pointing right at us." Ethan explained as he struggled to close the door of his overstuffed locker and then pick up his bag. "The Sheriff knows about us, you heard Decaulion, he was freaked out about it."

"So what, he's a human." Aiden said with an uncaring shrug.

"So are hunters and you don't just pretend they don't exist now do you?" Ethan said irritated with his brother for not taking the whole situation more seriously.

Lydia and Scott came around the corner at that moment. Lydia being her usual self, and invigorated with the discovery of the Darach's identity is looking more like the bad ass.

Aiden is still quite smitten with the Banshee, "CanI walk you to your car with all the kidnappings and murders, you can't be too careful?"

Her response of, "I like playing with bad boys, not so much being with them." isn't exactly a no in his book. So the twin still walks her out while Scott merely shakes his head without looking at Ethan.

He starts to head out to his bike when the other Alpha Twin grabs his arm. As soon as he has the teen's attention though he raises his hand to show he has no bad intentions. Instead, he offers, Make you a deal about we as in my brother and I agree to a non-aggression pact with the Hale Pack?" the werewolf adds, "Maybe even some assistance and support when the time comes."

"A non-aggression pact, huh? Someone's been paying attention in political science class," Scott looks at the other werewolf in confusion as he says, "Why would you choose to join us? From what I've seen so far. You're pretty much wiping the floor with us."

"Yeah for now. Unfortunately…what's the term, oh yeah, being in the Alpha Pack has a really high rate of turnover. He's already killed Ennis. I know it was him. Kali's too close. She didn't notice the imprint of Decaulion's ring on Ennis, but I did." Ethan looked around to find Lydia and Aiden talking by her little car. "Aiden is too loyal to Decaulion to recognize what's coming. Your Pack for such a young one is surprisingly stable. The writing's on the wall for us, we either get out now or Decaulion will kill us or have us killed or our latest patron will have us all killed. I personally encourage anything that supports our continued survival. That includes joining the Hale Pack."

Scott merely nods his head and offers, "I'll suggest it to Derek. Mind you that's not a guarantee he'll accept you. Right now I'm a little more concerned with my mom and finding her." With that concession the dark haired teen heads to his motorcycle after encouraging Lydia, "Lydia, lets go!" With that the pair leave the Alpha twins standing in the parking lot.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N~ I'm totally blaming the natural disasters from the past several weeks and the recovery from them for the lateness of these chapters. It's my excuse and it's a very legitimate one and I'm sticking with it and my personal recovery from them. That being said, I hope everyone is recovering from these horrible events and my prayers go out for everyone else who was also effected by these events. ~A**

 **Chapter 24**

Stiles with Derek's unwilling assistance has checked himself out of the hospital AMA or against medical advise. He reassures the Alpha that he's fine. The werewolf isn't sure he believes him but as Melissa's isn't there to argue the point and his father can't be found to gainsay his son, the hospital even though he's a minor has no choice in the matter, especially when Derek agrees to be his de facto guardian, again reluctantly.

They continue to try and locate the Sheriff and Melissa with growing trepidation. Derek mentions his concerns about finding Dyson naked and marked by his sister, in the loft. "So what you've marked me and I've marked you and we're both mates as well. Plus I'm even younger than your sister."

"Yeah but that's different," Stiles glanced at his mate incredulously as he heard the near whine that came from the Alpha's lips.

"Why because its you?" He sees the realization hit the older wolf that he's been had by his mate. "Please tell me you're not going to be that guy Derek." He sees the embarrassment and ire rising in his mate not above using the recent accident as a diversion, Stiles lets on a little to how much pain he's really in.

While the Alpha is trying to draw his pain he kind of clues into some of the teens insecurities about their relationship and they begin talking about that for a few minutes. Stiles is mostly just glad for a change of subject, mostly.

After a bit of coaxing from his Mate, Stiles admits "I'm a pale skinny kid who has a Greek Adonis type telling him he loves him in a forever kind of way. Do you get where I might be insecure about why you chose me as your mate?"

The Alpha explains, "It's not like that, its not a matter of choosing, not really. The heart wants what it wants. If it were a matter of choosing though, I couldn't have chosen better than you. You're smart, compassionate but not so gullible and generous to the point of nearly getting yourself killed on a number of occasions. Usually because of me or another member of our Pack, you do still realize even as a Spark. You're still more human than fae right?"

"And that fae are still vulnerable to various things?" Stiles said and reached up to rub his palm along the werewolves bristled cheek warmly as he agreed, "I am aware. I just hope you never live to regret me." Then they notice the light on the alarm is on and find they have company.

 **~O~**

Bo is looking out the window of the little sports car. Trying with some difficulty to see the street signs in the bright morning sun and still maintain a safe speed in traffic. The Mesmer sat in the passenger seat beside her snoring. She knew, he was merely taking advantage of the opportunity of getting out from under the Morrigan's very abusive thumb. So far though the dark fae had actually been very helpful, and even though he was still recovering the mindbender had been surprisingly helpful both in the bar and after in the fight with the townies.

She pulled into the gravel parking area of the industrial looking structure. The yard if you could call it that was overgrown with weeds and grass grew through bare areas of the parking area as she pulled in. She had double checked the address and was fairly sure this was where she was supposed to find the Hale's.

The Morrigan had given her an address that was several miles away in an animal preserve. The only problem was the address was also over ten years old. Her own

nomadic lifestyle and the fact she knew Kenzi had also been something of a wanderer, led her to doubt the accuracy of the previous address and go with what the locals knew.

Luckily while mostly keeping to themselves, the Hales were known in the area and also had a tendency to attract several local teens with various reputations among the local population. Especially the Sheriffs own son who had a reputation for being a but of a flake but generally a pretty good guy. One older bar-goer even remembered a much younger Kenzi. Even Vex had wandered over to listen to the older man's memories of a younger and tomboyish Kenza Hale and her brother and sisters.

Bo managed to get out of the low slung car without disturbing the sleeping Mesmer and stretched. Her lithe body appreciating the ability to stand and bask in the light of day. Sunlight and the succubus weren't natural enemies per say but lately she had been burning a lot more midnight oil than daylight hours.

She once again felt the vestiges of guilt assail her over the way she had pretty much left her bestie out in the cold for the past several months. Even though Kenzi had told her several times over she didn't mind Bo spending more time with Lauren, or that she was happy her succu-bud had found someone to love. The unaligned fae had known that she wasn't doing right by the Goth.

"What is that?" Vex hissed miserably as he crawled out of the car, nearly falling to the ground at least three times as he managed to end up leaning against the vehicle. Bo felt a little guilty as she assessed their surroundings a little more closely. Berating herself mentally for being so caught up in her emotions, until she realized she couldn't really detect anything. Had the Mesmer's talents picked up on something?

"What's what?" she asked seriously. Coming to stand by the dark fae.

"That," he said shielding his eyes as he pointed over his shoulder. It took a few more seconds of study for the brunette to realize that the older fae was talking about the bright morning sun.

Bo couldn't resist the urge to tease, "It's called the sun, Vex. Surely you remember it from your childhood?"

"I assure you succubus. That thing and I have never been introduced, nor do I at anytime intend to become more intimately acquainted with it." Vex said testily as he blindly fished around inside the car for a pair of sunglasses which he slipped onto his nose. "There that's somewhat better. So is this the place then?"

"If the local gossip mill is to be believed, yeah." she replied easily, a half smirk still sitting on her face as she watched her would be companion move over into the shadows out of the direct sunlight.

"Then let's have a go shall we. Sooner we find the little Goth girl and save the Morrigan's mystery poppet the sooner we can get back to civilization. Yeah?"

They heard a feral growl behind them and turn to find a werewolf larger than either of them and a young man with his hands glowing purple glaring at them. "Yeah about that, who are you again? What are you doing here and who the hell is the Morrigan?

Oh and by the way I'm not feeling all that hot this morning, so talk quick before I find myself needing to throw up or something. Because that will probably just set this guy straight off and kind of hard to talk sense to him when I'm trying not to throw up last months mystery meat special from the school cafeteria."

 **~O~**

After a few awkward moments, and a few quiet words…okay maybe not as quiet as they thought. The "discussion" between Bo and Kenzi having been rather loud and downright angry and suspicious in parts, degenerates into a crying, mascara filled mess. With Dyson very amusingly narrating their discussion from within the loft near the large wall of windows. as if by rote. Seeing the curious expression on the other Pack members faces he explains that he has dated both of the women in question. That fact doesn't make Derek feel any better about his dating the Alpha's sister.

When the two return to the loft arm-in-arm to explain, that the pair of Bo and Vex are being added at their insistence to the roster of allies for the Hale Pack. For the most part its accepted with good grace, although Stiles does ask what exactly constitutes them being able to "roll with the Hale Pack". He doesn't really remember much after that only that when he comes too, there is amusement and some embarrassment in the Pack's eyes. That and Derek is blushing, his lips are kiss swollen and the Alpha has a rather huge hickey on his neck that he didn't have before.

Because Allison saw the video with the three Alpha's driving away from the station, clearly unconcerned with anything to do with Chris Argent; she and the rest of the Pack are fairly sure that the Alpha's had nothing to do with his kidnapping. This leads the group to conclude no matter how reluctantly that they probably had nothing to do with the missing parents and that the serial killer they have been dealing with on the side has now for whatever reason stepped to the foreground.

With what Lydia, Deaton and Scott have found out they now can semi-confidently say that the Darach is the serial killer in question. They can also say that the Darach is actually Jennifer Blake, English teacher. The group then hatch a plan the fact that it plays off of Stiles fears, doesn't exactly sit well with the Alpha Pair or with Derek's two sisters. The Alpha will put himself out there as bait to try to draw the Darach out and then expose her. Thus according to Deaton, weakening her significantly and then interrogate her on the whereabouts of the parents of the Pack.

As a plan, it isn't perfect but pretty damned close. Besides they are running out of time, the eclipse is getting closer, and besides what could possibly go wrong. Never ask that question its like a clarion call to Murphy's Law, with an automatic activation clause thrown in for good measure.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N~ Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who are still recovering from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Juan and Maria as they continue to recover. As well as those recovering in Mexico from the recent earthquakes there. Please read, enjoy, and review. ~A**

 **Chapter 25**

 **The next day, the day of the lunar eclipse dawns:** Jennifer Blake suspected the gig may be up when none of the kids she's identified as members of the Hale Pack showed up for school that day. Blake makes excuses at the school of being sick and heads back to her home. The teacher felt an impending sense of dread settle over her as she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex.

Jennifer almost slams on the brakes when she sees the cruiser sitting outside of her building but instead lets the car drift through the parking area. The Darach glances out of the corner of her eyes as she coasts past her apartment and sees the two deputies standing on the landing outside of her apartment.

Blake can feel her breathing getting short, her heart pounding in her ears as she exit's the apartment complex. She goes to a nearby parking lot of a grocery store. An honest to goodness grocery store as she has herself a mini meltdown. Feeling the edges of her vision going dark red, the teacher is convinced she's going to have some sort of a panic attack but manages to barely pull herself back together.

This close to the lunar eclipse she wasn't going to let a few hiccups stop her. She couldn't. She was too close. As often happens during these moments of near panic, a spark of ingenuity struck.

The Darach hoping to divide and conquer, sets Scott up by kidnapping Deaton. She then leaves a message for Scott on how to find the druid but also leaves another one in the vet's office implying that the young Beta may have harmed Deaton, because of an unseen altercation between the two.

In the message that Blake leaves for Scott however, she explains that his mentor had been left tied up in such a way that the bindings make it difficult for the older man to breath. It will also cause the blood to pool around his heart and lungs. A method that will ultimately kill him, if he's not found soon.

Unbeknownst to her however the vet has managed to cut himself in the hopes that it will help the Pack track him and locate him better. Blake takes him to a cave system in the Preserve but near the school. She traps him in a mountain ash circle while also setting a trap that will also cause the cave to collapse when triggered.

The dark druid thinks, "Maybe this will draw some of the attention away from me," she thinks as she tosses the shovel in the trunk of her car. "Who knows," Blake thinks as she slides behind the wheel, "Maybe they will blame young McCall for all of the kidnappings and murders."

Scott with the help of Kenzi, Bo and Dyson manages to finds his mentor and doesn't fall into the trap the Darach has left for them. As Dyson, who is used to being both the hunter and the hunted in the past, manages to see the trap for what it is before it is triggered by any of them.

"Hurry up, man, Deaton could be dying in there," The younger Beta said impatiently. Pacing as he obviously wants to move much faster to find his friend.

"Yeah because being impatient and not listening to older more experienced voices has worked so well for you in the past." Kenzi reminds him, "Which is to say, not at all, in any of your endeavors. Wny else do you think Stiles asked us to come with you?"

The trio of Bo, Dyson and Kenzi work together like a well oiled machine as they help the young Beta to get through the entrance of the cave. As well as several other little decoy traps that the Darach has set in the hopes of trapping or injuring the teen, some of them magical in nature. When they finally get to where the vet is tied up, Scott nearly knocks himself out trying to get to his mentor through the mountain ash barrier.

Scott also showed the strong potential to become an Alpha in the process. When he tries to break through the circle of mountain ash to reach the older man.

As he is using only his strength of will and his strength as a werewolf, his eyes flashed scarlet

Bo, while she is also fae is not a werewolf and is able to break the circle of mountain ash rather easily. The group manage to free the Druid and get him out before the final trap has a chance to be sprung.

As Dyson runs ahead to get the vehicle the Alpha loaned them. Bo helps the teen as they half carry the older man down the trail to the road. Kenzi finally insists that they set the vet down so she can treat him. Plus she reminds them he's already been strung up for a while, "He needs a breather, guys. Set him down." the Goth says authoritatively. Bo instinctively does as her bestie says. Next to her girlfriend, Kenzi knows more about triage and old wives medicine than Bo does. Scott doesn't want to wait but already smarting from the last dressing down the older Kenzi gave him he does as he's told.

Now that they are away from the booby trapped cave, the she wolf treats the wound the vet gave himself, as well as some scrapes and bruises he got along the way. Her movements were quick and efficient and her voice soothing as she spoke to the older man. Before they knew it Dyson was back and had knelt beside the older man.

"Ever run with the wolves doc?" he said before lifting the other man in his arms, bridal style and they were off. Bo would have had a hard time keeping up but her BFF kept pace with the succubus down the trail.

 **~O~**

Blake thinks she has won. So while checking in on her prisoners, she tells the Sheriff and Mellissa that their children are both either dead or dying and then tells Chris she has special plans for Allison as well.

She was unprepared for the Mama Bear that is Melissa McCall though, and is caught off guard when Mellissa not only frees herself but manages to strike her in the face with her fingernails. Melissa is equally unprepared for the Darach to show her true face for a moment. The dark druid strikes back, hitting Mellissa and dragging her back over to chain her up in the root cellar along with the other two potential sacrifices.

The Darach struggles for a few minutes to try to regain her more attractive appearance. It is clear she is having to use more power and effort than she can afford to really to mask the claw marks that Melissa has left on her face in order to maintain the façade of normalcy.

She explains with her back turned as she pulls the vestiges of her glamer back together. While I have been enjoying the challenge that is the Hale Pack, they and you are all merely a means to an end. My real goal has always been the destruction of the Alpha Pack, especially Decaulion and the traitorous bitch Kali."

With her appearance back to its glamered self Blake then explains to the captive audience, "I was part of a Pack once. My mate and I were the Alpha Pair. The leaders of the Pack and we were thriving. Kali was a ruthless but fair leader. Until Decaulion came and convinced her that we were holding her back from her full potential. That was the day I made my deal with the Nemeton."

To which Chris Argent replies, "So we're supposed to feel sorry for you because you had a bad break up? And what be happy or honored perhaps that we're helping you exact your revenge by being strangled, having our throats cut and oh yeah have our heads bashed in for good measure. Don't hold your breath lady."

"I'm with him," Melissa said waspishly, "Bad break up? I'm divorced and raising my son on my own. Haven't you ever heard living well and having a happy life without the ex-is the best kind of revenge. In your case living at all was already spiting her best efforts."

Dropping her glamour the Darach responded indicating her ruined face said, "With this face? How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"Plastic surgery," snapped the nurse. "They can do miracles these days."

"All of this trouble, violence and death," the Sheriff added as the dark druid was glaring around at the three of them incredulously, "When all you really needed was a little psychological therapy and some plastic surgery. What a waste."

The Darach screamed in frustration, before climbing back up the ladder and out of the root cellar. Once again she pulled the rope ladder up behind her. Furious, it took her another moment to focus her thoughts enough to pull her glamour back around her.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N~ So didn't quite manage to end this story by the end of the series but never fear the end will be coming up soon. I hope everyone is still enjoying the story and will continue to do so. Please review, it feeds the writer almost as well as tea, scones, and chocolate do. ~A**

 **Chapter 26**

Jennifer decides, her mind running in circles to try and seduce Derek again, in hopes of gaining a little energy from the werewolf. As she pounds on the loft door desperately, she has already decided her course of action. That she is going to try and convince the Alpha that apparently the police are blaming her as the newcomer for the recent events that have been happening.

The teacher is surprised when the werewolf not only lets her in but seems at least receptive to her. As she begins to rub against him, releasing the pheremones she has been using to coerce men since her arrival here. Only to be surprised to discover that not only has she been tricked by the Alpha, lured into a trap, but that she also wasn't so successful with her trap to kill the rest of the Pack as she had hoped.

When Stiles and Scott step out of the shadows and the Spark asks her rather tiredly, "Where is my father?"

She tries to manipulate the situation thinking since Derek let her in he might be more receptive to her trickery. He shuts her down when he asks in a deceptively mild tone, "Do you know where the Pack elders are? Do you know where Stiles father is?" i

Even though she knows he'll probably be able to tell she's lying, she still tries. "I have no idea where he is. As far as I've heard the man has a drinking problem, maybe he went on a binge and is sleeping it off somewhere. These boys are clearly delusional. Made up this fantasy of me being a serial killer. I mean look at me."

"You are very beautiful, but is that an illusion or delusion. Well there's one way to find out." Scott offered as he unscrewed the lid of the plastic jar of mistletoe powder. Before adding, "By the way Deaton sends his regards."

She lunges away from Derek but she is not fast enough to get away from the arc of mistletoe dust the younger werewolf lets fly. The dust arcs toward the Darach and seems to swirl around her unveiling the true form of the woman. They watch for a few horrified seconds as she writhes in pain as though she has been struck repeatedly, before the mistletoe's dust cloud settles.

Blake looks a little panicked as she tries to explain, "I need the glamour just to walk around town or in public let alone teaching the way I look.". It's rather obvious that no one believes her though at this point..

When she hears them calling Bo and Vex and hears the word Mesmer, she casts a, magic spell that basically blasts them away from her and into the walls of the loft before she manages to make her escape. Not before she leaves behind some leaf litter as a clue. This is something that Stiles, Kenzi and a newly arrived Vex can use to scry and find the missing parents with.

After a surprisingly quick scrying session the three fey find the location of the missing Pack elders. They call Issac and Allison to send them to the root cellar. While Derek, Bo Dyson, and the other Pack members try to track down the Darach.

 **~O~**

Lydia meanwhile arrives at the loft about two minutes after everyone else has left Cora who is still there explains to her what has been happening. She turns toward the kitchenette going to prepare the other clearly distressed girl and herself a cup of tea. Only to be surprised and knocked out by Aiden, Ethan meanwhile pulls Lydia close to and behind him as they hear a distinctive clicking noise on the concrete floor of the loft.

Kali walks into the loft her toe claws making the clicking noise as she walks across the loft to where Ethan is holding Lydia. Aiden leaves Cora where she falls and moves around to stand beside the female Alpha. Ethan is clearly doing his best to keep Lydia away from Kali. The other woman had already seen the strawberry blond though and wiggles her fingers in a beckoning gesture.

Eyes glowing as the younger woman moves around the Alpha Twin. Still held in place but clearly fearless and defiant in front of the older Alpha. Kali's voice deepens into the dark honeyed tones of a predator as she asked the teen, "Do you know who I am?"

Ethan and Aiden both nearly roll their eyes at the Banshee's sass as she responded, "Someone who's clearly in desperate need of a mani- pedi?"

Kali's eyes flashed as she chuckled, "Oh I'm going to enjoy making an example out of you." The female Alpha said as she reached for the teen only to find Aiden blocking her path.

The teen wolf looked at her with open hostility as he said, "No, not her."

"Excuse me, since when do you tell me no?" Kali asked, her eyes widened and glowing red in angry surprise at the younger Alpha.

"Since now," he said and seeing her hand come up to slash at him, he punched her in the face hard. Not used to the twins fighting back Kali never saw it coming. Pushing Lydia behind him swiftly Ethan ran to join his brother in the assault on the female Alpha. The twins both knew that Decaulion probably wasn't far behind. They also knew that if it came down to a two-on-two fight between the Alpha Twins and the two older more experienced Pack members they would lose. Solution: eliminate Kali first.

They were all so focused on their fight they almost missed the approach of the Darach the Banshee however as her inner talent told her someone was about to die, screamed. Stunning the werewolves into immobility. Just before Jennifer Blake crashed through the sky light at that moment in a perfect three point landing. Kali attacked first recognizing the bigger threat as she ran to attack the other woman only to be thrown into a concrete supporting beam.

The twins then tried to join together to form the Super Wolf. Jennifer though showing surprising strength again reached between the two joining twins and ripped them away from each other painfully. She then turned back to face Kali who was back on her feet and realized even though the face was different, who it was in front of her.

"You?!" she said incredulously.

Instead of answering her the Darach used the force of her magic to lift several of the larger shards of glass into the air, from where she had crashed through the skylight. The air itself whipped around the woman like a small dust devil. All of the shards of glass faced in one direction though, towards Kali.

The Alpha female, saw her imminent death in the eyes of her former mate. She recognized it as the same cold, hard expression she had once held in her own eyes when she had killed off her former Pack members and left her lover for dead. Kali's eyes went dead as she told the other woman, "I should have …I should have finished you off when I had the chance."

At that a flash of bitterness went through Blake's eyes before the glass all shot forward and into the body and head of the Alpha female with a meaty thunk. The twins who had joined together behind her into the Super Wolf as she was occupied with her former Mate, attacked.

In a deft move the Darach stepped out of the way of the Super Wolf's lunge and pulled him down hard, snapping the neck of the larger werewolf easily. Dropping the lifeless body on the floor of the loft and completely ignoring the pair of women she left in the loft. The Darach used her power to lift herself back out of the loft back through the skylight, undoubtedly to go in search of the Alpha of Alpha's.

Cora though still unsteady on her feet grabbed Lydia to try and pull her out of the loft to find someplace safe for the very human and still fragile member of their Pack. Only for both of the young women to hear a groan. They both looked behind them in surprise as the twins separated from the Super Wolf into their individual selves. The two young women looked at each other before heading back to help the twins.

 **~O~**

As a simple matter of poor planning and having no idea where their parents were being kept. It takes a while for the pair to actually locate the root cellar, simply for the matter they've never been there before. The fact that the imminent eclipse is already affecting werewolf abilities doesn't exactly help them in this situation.

Allison calls Stiles, "…part of the fence is down there. You should be able to get across with no problem. Do you have a compass? Of course you do you're Hunter Girl." the way the younger teen said it was like a comic book hero alter ego. She kind of liked it. "Ok head due west you'll see it right beside the… Yeah that's it, watch out the ground is a little crumbly around the entrance. Holy shit!"

At the Spark's shout, Allison yells over the phone, "Stiles, Stiles are you okay?"

A few seconds later the teen is back on the line and she can hear the fear and a slightly panicked tone in his voice as Stiles responds, "I'm fine, just do me a favor Ally? Don't tell my dad I was driving while on the cell. Don't tell Derek either?"

"I promise," Allison agrees easily enough as she watches Issac call down into the cellar.

"Is there anyone there?" A couple of seconds later, they hear several shouts from inside the darkened space. Issac and Allison both cheer.

The Spark stays on the line long enough to hear them cheering because they have found the entrance and can now hear the parents calling for help. "I'll be there soon," he promises, before hanging up.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N~ Ok just to clarify. There have been a couple of comments I have made about the fact that Allison is an older teen. According to wikipedia and Mr. Davis, Allison is a year older than all the other teens, she is 17 when everyone else is 16. I thought I should mention this because I mention it again in this chapter. Also apologies for the late post, this set of posts were a little bit of a challenge for me to write. Hope you are continuing to enjoy the story. ~A**

 **Chapter 27**

"I found it," Issac called softly before adding uncertainly, "I think."

Allison ram to his side. Issac could literally hear the instability of the earth around the hole in the ground, The werewolf took her arm holding her back and keeping her away from the edge. even as he heard Stiles on the other end of the cell phone the older teenager held, give a warning about the entrance.

There was no ladder down into the dark but Allison called down, "Is anyone there?" The response from the darkness below was immediate and a bit chaotic. The pair realized that apparently the Darach had taken the ladder with her. An effective way to help prevent her prisoners escaping, the pair agreed.

Issac jumps down and catches Allison as she follows him into the root cellar. She nearly drops the flashlight she's carrying as she sees her dad tied to one of the support beams but manages to set it down before running to him and hugging him. She then pulls out a knife and starts cutting the bindings that secure him to the wooden beam. Both teens are happy to see the Pack elders alive and relatively unharmed.

Stiles voice is heard in the background. Issac realizes that the Sheriff is secured to another of the beams by his own handcuffs. When the older man tells them that the Darach took his keys. Issac is about to simply pull the handcuffs apart when he realizes his claws aren't unsheathing. They all then realize that the lunar eclipse had already started and that the werewolf no longer has his preternatural powers available to him.

Melissa sees how freaked out the teens are and says soothingly, "It's okay we just wait her out, The eclipse only lasts a few minutes no more than an hour at most right? We just wait till its over." The last word had barely left the nurses mouth when the cellar began to rumble ominously around them.

 **~O~**

Mama McCall, and the other occupants of the cellar, looked around as the confined area continued to rumble and dirt began to fall at an ever increasing rate. The Pack members began to notice that the roof of the root cellar seemed to be collapsing around them as the lunar eclipse continued.

Issac quickly stood back up and tried to hold the beam up, by supporting the ceiling across his own shoulders. "Allison hurry up and get them free." he demanded as he immediately felt the strain of trying to support what he was sure was at least a cubic ton of earth on his own thin currently non werewolf powered thin frame. He had only his own strength of will to work with and he was determined to get these three parents and Allison out of here.

He had only a second to think that these three were actually good parents compared to his own and he was going to make sure they made it back to their kids if possible. He had forgotten the fact they were all still trapped in this hole until someone came along with a ladder.

Then Chris Argent was there beside him also trying to help support the beam closer to the central structure. The young blond werewolf tried to tell the older man to get out when he noticed Allison there beside her father and Issac realized he no longer had the breath.

Allison admitted the words Issac didn't have the energy to say, "Can't hold it." He glanced over at where Mama McCaLl knelt next to the Sheriff. The older man was still secured to the central beam which was beginning to crack loudly and ominously.

The older woman had ducked her face into the older mans shoulder. Issac said weakly as he felt the weight of the beam pressing him down, thinking he had failed, "I'm sorry."

 **~O~**

Meanwhile, Scott is facing off against Decaulion, when the Darach appears. The teen is literally pushed to the side as the woman engaged the older werewolf. Barely seeming to use any of her power except to enhance her strength as she and the blind werewolf, fight.

To call it fighting was a nice way of saying the Darach used the Alpha as a punching bag. Scott had heard from the girls what had happened at the loft. Apparently the dark druids need for revenge had only partially been avenged with the death of her former lover and the near deaths of the Alpha Twins. Of course he was fairly sure that she didn't know they were only near deaths, but that was neither here nor there.

The younger werewolf had to admit that right now the Alpha cut a rather pathetic figure. According to Dyson it really shouldn't have been possible for the hunters to have blinded the Alpha the way they did. Fae heal over time, It may take awhile but it had been years and yet the Alpha was still as blind as ever with no end of it in sight, no pun intended.

This gave the teen a spark of an idea, again no pun intended. It was an idea that Stiles would have appreciated though. The Darach had her arm raised no doubt to deliver the killing blow when Scott spoke, "It seems a shame,"

The older woman looked up at him, clearly startled. Scott was certain she had even forgotten he was there at that moment. "It seems a shame," the teen repeated and then continued, "That he can't even see the killing blow coming or see your face as he dies, so he knows who did this to him." A shrug of his shoulders to seal the deal and he waited for her inevitable reaction. He had been around Stiles enough to know when to stop and let the other guys own imagination take over. The Spark sometimes didn't know when to stop.

Scott however had been learning the fine art of subtlety from his mother since he was younger and had watched her dealing with everything from ego inflated doctors, to repairmen with their own version of the little woman syndrome and had to say while Stiles was a master manipulator. His mother was better and had more experience at manipulating in a more subtle fashion.

Blake smiles pleased with the idea of the Alpha seeing his defeat, and lays her hand on his head. The caress is almost affectionate but the pain the Alpha experiences as his sight is returned makes even Scott cringe in sympathy for the older man.

The Darach quickly throws up a mountain ash barrier around herself for protection, when the trap was sprung. The idea had been for the older woman to use as much of her personal power as possible.. Healing the Alpha of Alpha's after their rather lengthy battle had done that. So when Derek and the quartet of out of towners showed up, she was vulnerable.

Even weakened as they are by the lunar eclipse she doesn't stand a chance against all of them. It doesn't seem to affect her bravado though as she taunts them from behind the barrier. Jennifer tells the, "Just let me go. Let me kill Decaulion and she'll tell them where to find the parents."

Kenzi reminds them, "She can't afford to let the parents go. The Pack elders are the last part of her agreement with the Nemeton, if she breaks that agreement she loses it all, including the glamour."

"There is another way, if an Alpha gives me his power, " she says looking at Derek avariciously I can break the agreement with the Nemeton and keep my power, or at least enough of it to maintain my glamour. I can let the parents live. Without me they all die."

Derek actually laughs as he replies, "So basically, it's a matter of who do I trust more to keep a bargain. You or my mate. I think I'll go with my mate on this one."

 **~O~**

Cora and Lydia are actually helping Deaton with the two Alpha twins. The vet despite his own herbal concoctions is still feeling the pain from his earlier ordeal While Cora helps Ethan out to the lobby to sit in the supremely uncomfortable plastic chairs. Aiden teases the Banshee, "I knew it, I knew you liked me..

The strawberry blond reluctantly agrees but tells the brash werewolf, "I would like you better if you weren't the bad boy and could at least try to be a little more monogamous." The Alpha Twin seems a little too loopy to understand the reference and instead he kisses her palm and holds it close rubbing his cheek against it like a cat scent marking his human..


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N~ A couple more chapters after this including the epilogue, and then I may be able to move on to other projects. After a little bit of a rest to recharge the creative juices. Is it bad that I'm still recovering from the hurricanes? Prayers for Puerto Rico though seriously. Thank you all for continuing to read, enjoy and review. Love you guys. ~A**

 **Chapter 28**

The dark druid instead of answering the Alpha, scolds the out of town fae. "I don't remember inviting you?"

Bo sasses, "We sort of have a carte blanche,"

Ignoring the implication of the statement the Darach shakes her head with amusement and say, "You seem to have involved yourselves in the wrong kerfuffle, here."

Kenzi actually snorted at the word and said, Seriously are you trying to use a slang word of the day or are you just trying to sound older than you are. No one has ever used that word in a sentence in their entire lives..

Vex is facing the Alpha Pack's Alpha as he agrees, "Quite right. By the way the Morrigan sends her regards."

Decaulion actually looks a bit worried and goes a little gray at that comment. The dark druid laughs though and says, "It doesn't matter once I've completed my revenge. I'll finish with your little family."

"Then who knows," she said looking at Bo and Vex and said, "Maybe I'll go after your families or the people you care about."

"Yeah good luck with that," Vex responded with sharp amusement. Only those who knew him somewhat recognized the slight hint of yearning in his voice.

"Kill Decaulion and Derek and maybe I'll still let your parents go," the Darach said.

Kenzi told her honestly "I don't really care about the Alpha over there. Truthfully he's kind of a douche but we already know you're not letting the elders go. That's okay though like Derek said. It's a matter of trusting Stiles or trusting you. I think I will go with Stiles every single time."

"What do you know little wolf?"

"That after all that's happened you wasted power on healing Duke's eyes when you should have just killed him yourself and now that the eclipse is in full swing you don't even have the power to kill him yourself." Kenzi said in a surprisingly harsh tone. "You might as well give up now. Either way you're not getting out of here."

"I've got a better idea," said Scott. He then drew up all of his anger and fear for his mother and forced himself into the mountain ash circle and eventually he felt the shield collapse under his hands like an overfull balloon, destroying it. Just as the eclipse ended. His eyes changing to Alpha red as he does. Derek looks on impressed as the younger werewolf does this.

"That works too," Kenzi says with a wicked little smile.

"You can't kill me what'll happen to your parents. You'll never see them again," she says with a breathless little laugh.

"Stiles is already there and helping Kenzi stares at her phone screen. The glow lighting up her pale face in a blue glow that was actually pretty bad ass Dyson thought.

Seeing Scott's doubtful expression, the Darach gave a wicked smile at the continued perceived weakness of the baby Alpha. As he agreed, "You're right I can't kill you."

"I however, have no problem doing the deed., Decaulion says harshly before he slashes the Darach's throat. He then continues to vent his anger on the woman's body as the eclipse continues to wan.

 **~O~**

There was a sudden scuffle and scramble at the entrance of the root cellar. As the earth continues to rumble and crack around them. Allison cried, "Can't hold it anymore."

Suddenly a silver bat appears and is lodged under the framework of the roof of the cellar. The roof of the root cellar is now less than half the height it used to be. The purple crackle of arcane energy flashes from the vat along the timbers that supported the ceiling and then spread out into the surrounding earth. The strain could still be heard in the surrounding earth as it continued to groan and creak. The supporting structure continued to stand strong though the cracking of the timbers stopped. The rumble and falling earth stopped and the collapsing of the earthen ceiling stopped.

With cries of relief everyone in the cellar hugged. Stiles though only had eyes for his father. Issac, free of the restraint of the eclipse, as it waned. Now easily snapped the handcuffs and worked to get Mama McCall free.

"Always said aluminum was better." The Sheriff said, totally ignoring the sheen of purple arcane energy that dances across the surface of the metal bat as it supports the wooden beam. Opting instead to pull his frail looking son into one of his famous bear hugs. He doesn't notice the oophing noise that Stiles makes or the increased pallor of the teen as his father pulls him closer.

Stiles gets a phone call from the new baby Alpha and reassures his best friend, "We're all fine. Everyone is okay but could you maybe bring a ladder?" His normally pale face even more pale than usual, and dotted with perspiration, not that anyone else had noticed yet.

 **~O~**

Scott agrees to do that for his best friend as he turns and tells the anxiously waiting out of towners and mate the news. They're fine they'll probably need a ladder to get out, but other than that they're in fairly good shape according to Stiles at least."

"You and she had one thing in common revenge, how about walking a different path for a while. One called redemption."

Derek agrees and adds, "How many lives have you destroyed for whatever the fae councils have given you and usually more for their own agendas and not what the Packs may or may not have deserved." The Alpha said as he looked at the shattered older Alpha.

"My mother once told me you were a good man where there were so few good men who worked for the Council. It's time you worked your way back to being that man. Become that man again."

"You're free to go Decaulion." Scott tells the older Alpha, and with that the now sighted werewolf stumbles out into the moonlit night.

Meanwhile the four fae have gone outside to have their own discussion. Kenzi wants to know why Vex and Bo are really there. "The Morrigan sends her regards. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Vex hardly ever does anything unless there's something in it for him." Dyson agrees.

Bo and Vex then explain the deal with the Morrigan with Bo thoughtfully leaving out the sex and torture aspects that have been part of Vex's life for the past many years.

Dyson agreed, "I thought there was something familiar in the pictures of Claudia the bone structure of Stiles mother looked very similar to the Morrigan, just maybe a slightly older version of the Queen of the Dark Fae."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kenzi asked.

Dyson said, "I thought you would have noticed you saw the same pictures I did. I just thought you didn't say anything to the boy for fear of freaking him out even more than he already was about fae, magic, and being a Spark."

"Ok good point." Kenzi said. "Why is Vex involved?"

"I do this, I'm out from under the Morrigan for good although she doesn't seem to believe that," The Mesmer said with wry amusement. "Who knows maybe I'll join you in being unaligned succubus."

"Heaven help us all," Dyson said under his breath. As he drew his mate closer to his side in a possessive gesture.

"Maybe we can use it as blackmail against her so she'll never mess with us or Stiles again," Kenzi said her brows knit, setting her mind to working out the details of the idea.

"I don't really think that's going to be a problem," Vex said. "The Morrigan has stayed away this long I have a feeling she and the mother probably had already made an agreement between them. An agreement that she has kept for years. I don't really see a reason for her to break it now. Do you?"

"We'll see." the younger werewolf said thoughtfully.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N~ I have enjoyed writing this story and hope that everyone has enjoyed reading it. Going to take a little break to recharge the juices and maybe do a few side ventures. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday season. Thank you all for continuing to be the lovely fan girls and boys you are. ~ A**

 **Chapter 29**

After waiting for over half an hour, during which the last vestiges of the eclipse had worn off, Stiles had gotten tired of waiting for his best friend to come and get them. Issac had grown concerned when he started to notice the scent of increased stress on the Spark and when he took the other teens arm to lead him to the entrance. He realized exactly how much pain Stiles was in when black veins began to pulse up his arm.

Stiles quietly hissed to the other boy that he had re-injured himself getting to them as quickly as he did. Concerned the werewolf agreed with the Spark not to wait for his mate, the new Alpha or the ladder. Even though Chris still had a head wound he insisted on going first to help the others get out of the cellar. Stiles sat down for a few minutes to catch his breath Just standing now was causing the young man to have sharp pains in his chest.

"How good is your balance?" Issac asked the older man as he lifted him with one hand and pushed him up to the edge of the entrance. The older Argent scrambled as the entrance of the cellar still crumbled under his fingers but finally found enough purchase to pull himself out. Allison collected belts before she was tossed by the young werewolf up and out through the tunnel entrance. Her father softening the fall as much as he could once she reached the top.

The young huntress then looped the belts together to make a kind of rope to help pull Mama McCall out next. All of them heard a yell from the Sheriff then as Stiles who had grown increasingly gray suddenly threw up the meager contents of his stomach. John Stilinski was just able to catch his son before Stiles passed out into the small pool of vomit on the floor.

The Spark looked incredibly pale, almost ghost like as Issac ran to his side. He only knew what first aid he had learned in school. Unfortunately he had just managed to get Mama McCall to the top of the tunnel when this happened. The blond teen cursed, "Damn it Derek, where are you?"

"Right here kid," he said. The Alpha was suddenly there in the cellar with the other two and immediately began drawing pain from his mate. They hear Scott and Chris working to get the ladder down through the hole, Issac practically has to wrestle the Sheriff away from his unconscious son and up the ladder and out of the cellar.

Issac hesitated for a minute torn about whether to help his Alpha, when Derek spoke, "Issac get up the ladder and move it out of the way," The Sheriff heard this and tried to come back down the ladder, only to be thwarted by the Hunter and his daughter. As well as the expedience of the blond werewolf as he jumped up through the tunnel and he and Scott pulled the ladder up swiftly behind them.

As soon as the ladder cleared the tunnel entrance Derek, the Spark cradled in his arms, jumped to the top and landed beside Melissa. The nurse, quickly began assessing the boy who was like a son to her. Terrified of what she might find, as the Alpha explained about the accident and the Sparks previous injuries.

Sure enough the experienced fingers of Melissa McCall discovered where one of the cracked ribs had been re-injured and had apparently broken completely and now seemed to be not only causing some internal bleeding but also might have punctured something vital. She couldn't do more to assess the teen, being in the middle of nowhere as they were.

The Alpha and the Sheriff nearly got into a shouting match before Melissa intervened. The Sheriff wanted to wait for a helicopter, to air lift his son out to the hospital. Derek knew his running with Stiles would get them to the road and Stiles to a hospital by one of the vehicles faster. Melissa agreed with Derek and drawing pain from the teen as he ran, Derek was off.

The young Alpha reached Stiles beloved Jeep. He fished the key out of the Spark's pocket after carefully buckling the younger man into the passenger seat. One hand on the wheel and the other on his mates arm to draw pain, the Alpha was off. Hazards flashing on his race to the hospital.

 **~O~**

Vex had tried to explain to the others, "I don't really think the Morrigan is wanting to involve herself with Stiles, I have a feeling the boys mother and she had an arrangement," but no one seemed willing to listen to the Mesmer.

Well truthfully it would be more accurate to say they didn't believe the Morrigan would be that "well intentioned" about the whole thing. Vex would be inclined to agree with them on most days because he knew Evony better than most people and not just because they frequently had sex together. Although the boy was her last remaining living relative, he didn't see her maternal instincts kicking in so much as her familial ones, creeping up. Its not like the status of the Morrigan was a familial lineage thing. That would be too archaic even for the fae. In this instance though he was pretty sure of what he was saying but he let the subject drop.

Mostly because Bo had already moved on to other awkward conversations. Ones the dark fae was certain he didn't want to be involved in, like Dyson and Kenzi. Who the succubus was trying to figure out how to combine their names in some cutesy fashion. Then on even further to the even more awkward conversation of why Kenzi had never told her or anyone else for that matter that she was a fae and a werewolf.

"And I'm off," the Mesmer said cheerfully as he walked away.

 **~O~**

Erica was not happy. She and Boyd had deliberately been left out of the fighting with the Alpha Pack and the Darach. For some reason, Stiles theory was that it was the funky assed bank vault they had been trapped in, whatever the reason, her werewolf powers had been slow to return and erratic at best, as was her control.

She had really had enough of being sheltered and protected when she had been human and an epileptic. Prone to seizures at the drop of a hat. She really shouldn't need to be that way now that she was a werewolf. That was supposed to be the whole deal with being a badass werewolf. She was supposed to be BADASS!

She had not told anyone since she had been brought out of her coma by Stiles but she had been feeling disconnected from the rest of the Pack. The bond was still there. She would have freaked her right out if it hadn't been, it was just milder, muffled almost, like listening to a conversation or something from another room. You could get the general gist of what was said but parts were missing. She was worried that some of those parts might be important and it made her edgy. Thus unhappy Erica.

She and Boyd were on their way out of the hospital. It was after hours for the therapy department. However other than the high school gym, there wasn't really a gym in the area. Erica preferred to work out when there wasn't anyone there to watch her. It wasn't vanity. The girl knew she looked good and in shape. It was more she wanted to do certain things that weren't really for public consumption, werewolf style things.

The blond and her man were actually talking about how there needed to be a 24/7 gym in town for those with irregular schedules and who couldn't convince the head of nursing to let them copy the key for the door to therapy. Especially since Stiles had caused an increase in security around the hospital and rightly so. When something suddenly burned through the teen werewolves chests at the same time.

It was like her chest was suddenly on fire and her senses were awakened and she and Boyd said at the same time. "Stiles!" Her guy being the stoic quiet rock that he was , it was said more like a whisper. Erica though it was more like a scream. Both of them were running for the front of the hospital as Derek pilled up to the emergency room entrance.

They were calling for help as Erica held the door open and Boyd had already grabbed a gurney sitting against a wall and pulled it with him to the entrance to retrieve the unconscious body of their fellow Pack member.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N ~ Lest there be any doubt I have great respect for the military. Most are respectful, intelligent and I honor them for their service. Then there are those individuals who in order to blow off steam, have the whole beer goggles on and don't realize what they're doing. This actually happened to me and a few friends a few months ago. Luckily we had a few Marines with us to help de-escalate things a bit. ~A**

 **Chapter 30 - Epilogue**

Stiles woke up to the sound of beeping machines, the sound of soft shoes scuffing along in the halls, and soft call bells going off at the nurses station down the hall. "Not again,"

Then he heard the guttural sounds of Kenzi casting a spell nearby as he felt a sudden frisson of cold effervescent energy spreading across his skin. As the werewolf cast a spell to strengthen and heal the Spark.

As Derek helps his younger mate sit up in the bed. Erica apparently finishing a conversation she had been having with the other Pack members just before Stiles had woken up.

The blond werewolf finally confesses, I have been feeling out of sorts, Then last night it was like everything cleared away and there was this searing pain in my chest and it was like it all came back, you all came back."

Stiles had explained in his usual fashion, "So apparently the renewal of the bond was all my Cat Woman really needed to get her mojo back."

"Only guys have mojo Stiles." the blond responded in a disgruntled fashion while hiding a rather large grin at the use of the old nickname.

"I disagree my Cat Woman is a bad ass and definitely has mojo and I'm very glad she's back to her old self." Stiles sassed right back in a slightly breathless tone.

Later on in the evening she and Boyd discuss with the Alpha Pair the benefits of a gym in town that would be open 24/7, as a potential for income for the Pack. Although he is still dozing off frequently and they weren't even sure he had been paying attention as doped up as he was, the Spark had apparently heard the salient points.

He thought it a brilliant idea. Before he was even released from the hospital Stiles had worked up a mock up for the business plan for the gym and was looking into architectural drawings for the building and potential sites for the business around town. Such was the power of the Stiles.

 **~O~**

Eventually the four fae from out of town were ready to return home with McKenza agreeing to come visit more often now that Dyson and Bo knew the truth about her background. Vex agreed to keep the fact that Kenzi was a werewolf from the Morrigan. Although he confessed he believed it was a moot point because he thought the leader of the dark fae may already be aware of the fact.

A few days after the Spark was out of the hospital saw he and several other members of the Pack seeing Dyson, Kenzi, Bo and Vex off. After hugs and some tearful goodbyes including a huge hug between the Hale siblings. Which Stiles had to wrap his arms around them for a group hug..

The Alpha pair are talking about the strengthening of Pack bonds especially after Erica's confession in the hospital.

Derek admits, "Usually having two Alphas in one Pack can become a dangerously territorial issue. I think I can accept Scott sticking around and I probably wouldn't have said that before. It would sort of be like the Alpha Pack thing only better, no violence."

"After all where is he going to learn to be a better Alpha than you?" Stiles reassured.

"Yeah, but a couple of years ago I couldn't have said that. Now things are different." the Alpha said with a rare smile, made all the sweeter because of its rarity.

"Because now you have a family?" Stiles asked what he thought was a rhetorical question.

"Partially, " the Alpha said with a little half nod, "Mostly because now I have you."

Charmed the younger man gave his mate a deep soul kiss. Derek reluctantly released his mate as he confessed, "I'm a little concerned about Kenzi and her friends though. I don't trust the fae councils not to try and interfere even more than they already have tried to do."

"Not to worry, babe. Your little sister has her own little Pack to watch her back." Stiles reassured.

 **~O~**

While the others are finding them a booth, Kenzi is getting them some drinks from the bar. It's a supposedly family friendly establishment with most of the tables and booths set away from the actual bar area to sustain that illusion.

Kenzi got the bartenders attention and he held up a finger as he was in the process of getting someone's order. Kenzi nodded, she could be patient, she thought as she studied the drinks menu. Normally she should have her customary vodka but since she was riding the bike, with D-man, she'd settle for beer. Then she realized she didn't know what Vex would want, and texted her bestie, Bo to ask her to ask the dark fae.

She then went back to checking out the drinks menu, chuckling softly at some of the ridiculous names. "Goldfish on the rocks? Really. That's just ew. Who comes up with these names?"

"Some corporate bigwig with nothing better to do. " said a voice beside her. She turned her head to see a tall deceptively slender blond fellow standing beside her. He was in street clothes but her instincts screamed cop or military. The fact he had to have a half dozen cookie cutter buddies with him didn't ease the warning bells going off in her head.

"Probably not wrong," she said amiably enough as her phone dinged. Bo's text read,

" _Whiskey, neat. Beer chaser. Guess I'm driving." Kenzi just sent back a thumb's up._

And slipped her cell phone back in her pocket, and waited for the bartender to make his way down to her. The military crew were doing their best to invade her personal space.

It was early in the afternoon, lunch crowd was going and the after work crowd hadn't arrived yet. A few of the soccer moms were just starting to trickle in but they weren't at the bar. No reason for the yahoos to be closing in except for trying to paw at or intimidate her. Yeah so not happening, Kenzi thought as she snapped, "Guys spread out a bit, your taking up all the O2 over here."

The blond actually said, "Is that what you're drinking?" Kenzi could actually swear she saw a few brain cells trickle out of his ears. She turned away from them and actually shook her head in woe at the future of the human race. Then the bar tender was there and she gave him her order and asked if he would have the waitress bring it out to them and tried to show him where she and her crew were sitting except the idiot military guys were blocking the view.

Finally the bar tender had enough and ordered them, "Clear out unless you're actually ordering drinks."

The men looked disgruntled but did step aside. Kenzi pointed out the groups table and then gave the man a generous tip. He'd been polite, hadn't made her wait too long, and she figured she might get quicker service that way.

She stood to go back to the table only to have the pack of Chihuahua's surround her again. She had already relegated the blond to being the mirror. Not because he couldn't get his face away from one, although that was also possible. No it was more like this one was basically a copy cat, the drink name was something he'd probably read in Playboy or something. Not a single original thought in his head, whatever she was already bored with them all.

She really didn't want to start a fight but these guys were seriously getting on her nerves now. Just because she was tiny did not mean she was a pushover and I'm sorry what did these bozos think was going to happen? She shuddered to think, if they did this often and what usually happened to the hapless female they met.

"I strongly recommend you boys find easier prey." Kenzi growled through her teeth.

"Oh come on, darling, just one little drink. That's all we ask," this one was slightly shorter and beefier than his friend with dark hair and a not so friendly expression on his face.

Kenzi merely said, "No thanks." and tried to make her way through the crowd. Only to be shoved back by one of the men.

She felt the flair in her chest at the same time she heard Bo say, "Gentlemen," as she ran her hands down the arms of two of the men, then separated them to step through to Kenzi's side. Pink sparkles raising the hairs on their bare arms.

At the same time Vex came around the other end of the little gang stroking his fingers over the cheek of the soldier there and flouncing a little shoulder wiggle as he said, "No

need to fight over us boys. Why don't you take it outside?"

As if to prove the theory about the military background the men fell into single file and marched for the door. Where Dyson stood waiting for them, he held the door open as the men marched out the door.

Dyson just gave her a little wink. As Bo and Vex headed back to the table she walked over to her mate and gave him a peck on the cheek as she asked, "Why didn't you come to my rescue?"

"That lot?" he snorted as the sounds of fighting began to gear up outside, "You had 'em. Didn't figure you needed my help." With that he gave her a cheeky little smirk and she gave him a full on kiss holding his face in place with her hands when he would have drawn back.

A few woos, from the soccer kids had them both break apart with blushes. Vex said cheerily, "That was fun, how bout brunch and mimosas at my place tomorrow to celebrate?"

"You don't think that might be a little pre-mature? We haven't even seen the Morrigan yet." Dyson asked his brows furrowing at the Mesmer's sudden confidence.

"We just faced the Alpha Pack and won. The Morrigan's ego personified with a lot more teeth and claws involved. Vex said with a shrug of his shoulders as their drinks were brought to the table by the waitress.

"Don't say it," Bo cringed in anticipation.

"What could possibly go wrong?" the dark fae laughed a little maniacally as he raised his glass to clink with the others.


End file.
